New Children's Book On Mommy's Plastic Surgery

What does one tell a child who's mother has just come home with a brand new nose? What does one say to the son who's mother is 150 lbs lighter and almost unrecognizable? These are the questions answered in My Beautiful Mommy, a new kids book that goes on sale, of course, this coming Mother's Day.

According to the Newsweek article, the book features:

a perky mother explaining to her child why she's having cosmetic surgery (a nose job and tummy tuck). Naturally, it has a happy ending: mommy winds up "even more" beautiful than before, and her daughter is thrilled.

Like Newsweek, you're probably wondering:

What's the market for a children's picture book about moms getting cosmetic surgery? No one specifically tracks the number of tummy-tuck-and-breast-implant combos (or "mommy makeovers," as they're called), but according to the latest numbers from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast augmentation was the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure last year, with 348,000 performed (up 6 percent over 2006). Of those, about one-third were for women over 40 who often opt for implants to restore lost volume in their breasts due to aging or pregnancy weight gain. There were 148,000 tummy tucks--up 1 percent from the previous year.

The book is written by Dr. Michael Salzhauer, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Bal Harbour, Fla.

Salzhauer got the idea for a book after noticing that women were coming into his office with their kids in tow. He says that mysterious doctor's visits can be frightening for children. "Parents generally tend to go into this denial thing. They just try to ignore the kids' questions completely." But, he adds, children "fill in the blanks in their imagination" and then feel worse when they see "mommy with bandages," he says. "With the tummy tucks, [the mothers] can't lift anything. They're in bed. The kids have questions."

To see hilarious coverage on My Beautiful Mommy from HuffPost sister site 23/6 click here.

-or-

You can check out some HuffPost coverage of the similarly inappropriate children's "virtual fashion site!", Miss Bimbo, here and here.

Comments

[philosophistry]

05:06 PM on 04/18/2008

Once again, life imitates The Onion:

New Children's Book Helps Kids Deal With Pain And Isolation Of Plastic Surgery:
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/27973

[mbh78213]

02:09 PM on 04/18/2008

I was reminded of the novel "Face Value" by Lilli Palmer. The protagonist has a nose job and is gorgeous afterwards, but her little boy is disappointed because he and his mother no longer have the same nose.

[Arguman]

01:13 PM on 04/18/2008

another thing you may notice is that the mommy is getting a tummy tuck, and yet she looks too skinny to begin with.

[PhillyQuaker]

01:02 PM on 04/18/2008

Our Beautiful Mommy by Jesse and Jackson Smith

Our Mommy is Patti Smith an author, poet and famous rock star that cares deeply about others.

She is 63 and is happy in her own body.

She is featured in a very moving video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zA4T6LzZtU

We love our beautiful Mommy because she is herself!

[mi]

07:31 AM on 04/18/2008

stupid, how about teaching kids about things that really matter in life.

[angelwax]

05:27 AM on 04/18/2008

I think I'm gonna puke. It's time we go back to the Twilight Zone episodes on beauty.

[stevesrant]

10:38 AM on 04/17/2008

Does the book discuss how to explain to older children why they look nothing like their parents, and more importantly, why their parents decided not to look like them?

[LivingStardust]

08:47 AM on 04/17/2008

Wow. Vanity, thy name is BAD EXAMPLE FOR CHILDREN. Dumbasses.

[Robespierre]

08:34 AM on 04/17/2008

Perhaps rather than tummy tucks, stomach reductions, liposuction, etc...how about a novel idea like changing one's diet to healthier selections and working out with weights, cycling, walking, etc. It's time for Americans to get off of their collective asses and do something physical. Heck, they'll feel more energetic as a result!

The reason that we have so many plastic surgeons is because we have so many lazy people who are not willing to do the work required to stay healthy!

[Arguman]

01:13 PM on 04/18/2008

lol. but that involves self directed work! this is America, buddy!

[tombollocks]

07:55 AM on 04/17/2008

What a disgusting idea for a child's book! What's next, "Why Our Mega-Church Minister Likes Meth and Man-Love"?!

"He says that mysterious doctor's visits can be frightening for children." God forbid a child gets frightened! Yes, yes, let's not have frightened children. With books like this, children will grow up being emotional cripples, not being able to deal with anything.

Maybe someone will do another book like this called "Why Mommy Is A Narcissistic Whore".

[sssteverrr]

01:57 AM on 04/17/2008

Plastic surgey is a symptom of the extreme sickness of our society. The fact that it is considered normal and acceptable to have surgery so you can look good to other people so they will continue to like and respect you so you can find personal fulfillment from what other people think of you is pathological. Plus it rarely works. Most often it seems like people go from looking old to looking like pathetic aliens.

Plastic surgery patients have my sympathy, it must be very painful to hate yourself.

[mamacat]

05:54 PM on 04/16/2008

Hopefully everyone is disgusted by this book, but the culture that spawned it is too pervasive for widespread condemnation to be likely. The book has a better chance of becoming a best seller, than of being held up for scorn.

Whatever happened to valueing a persons mind, and behavior, over their looks?
Should we now teach our children, in gradeschool, that the pathway to a fulfilled life leads through the doors of the plastic surgeon's office, instead of through the path of education?

I would like to be able to just laugh at the book mentioned, but I am too sad to laugh.