Why does the Mormon church oppose tattoos and second ear piercings but say nothing about cosmetic breast surgery? I have no idea.

It really is a big thing in Utah culture, though. One of the last things that pushed me over the edge in making the decision to divorce my ex-husband, from Utah, was when he began insisting that I should "get a boob job" because "we can afford it now".

No comprehension of the fact that I'm completely comfortable with my body the way it is, that I very much dislike medical procedures and would never go through one unnecessarily, that there is always some degree of risk due to the possibility of infection, that I had a very active lifestyle and that larger breasts might be uncomfortable for me. Even after I explained all those things, the only thing that he could see as a negative was the cost.

Clearly, he thought it was worth the price for the benefit of being able to enjoy bigger breasts on his wife, and show off his larger-breasted wife publicly.

Unfortunately for him, it backfired. I divorced him and he got to enjoy no breasts at all and had nothing to show off, at least until he found his replacement TBM wife.

I had to have a mastectomy several years ago, and only just recently felt ready to pursue reconstruction. When I met with the plastic surgeon last week, one of his first questions was if I wanted to be bigger. He seemed a bit surprised by my prompt answer of "No. I've never wanted big boobs." I can't think of any reason why I would want to have my remaining breast altered and lose at least some sensation. I already have limited sensation on the side of the mastectomy.

I'm planning on selecting the surgery which will move muscle and fat from my lower abdomen up to create a new breast mound which will, theoretically, feel and age similarly to my natural breast. Another good reason to go this route is that both breasts will shrink or grow similarly if my weight changes.

Good luck with that, Gail. I'm impressed and hope all goes well.

I hope the surgery goes well.

Hope everything goes well, Gail! Hang in there!

I'm thrilled for you that you have such options. Medical advances have come a long ways. I like that the reconstruction allows for weight fluctuations too.

I never understood why super skinny women would want to have super big boobs in the first place. They look so unnatural on them. Plus, from what guys have shared, they prefer a woman with natural boobs anyday over the artificial ones. And they can tell a difference up close and personal. Artificial boobs feel fake.

A girl I went to high school in Ogden when I was a junior, got breast implants that year. Her father was an orthodontist. He bartered with a plastic surgeon friend by giving the other's daughter braces, and his daughter got her boobs in exchange.

She was quite the sensation with the fellas, but had one boyfriend and wasn't cheating on him. Her sister was the plain Jane of the family; overweight and on the shy side. Lolly was gregarious.

I never really wanted the extra weight of larger boobs, and having to shop for special order bras, or have the silicon break or leak on the inside.

If a guy is primarily interested in the size of his woman's breasts, he isn't someone I'd be interested in.

Congrats on your successful recovery. Olivia Newton-John had a radical mastectomy. You wouldn't know it by looking at her. She maintains a smaller cup size, and she's a petite lady to begin with. So it works well for her. She's still looking gorgeous!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2015 04:42AM by amyjo.

Thanks for the kind words everyone. I feel fortunate to live at a time when breast cancer can be detected and successfully treated in most cases. Reconstructive surgery is just icing on the cake. I am grateful that my kids still have a mom.

Regarding elective plastic surgery to get bigger boobs - a woman certainly has the right to spend her money in this way if it will help her gain a better body image. What I find inconsistent about the prevalence of breast augmentation advertising along the Wasatch Front is that in the same geographical area an eight year old girl wearing a sleeveless dress would be considered "immodest."

Sorry you had to deal with such a jerk.

I had no idea until I worked with some 30 something ladies who had breast inhancements in their late teens. One co-worker had her's pop and then had to come up with the money to replace both - then her nipple died. I am way too much of a scrooge and a scaredy-cat to do this.

That didn't even cross my mind as a side effect, but it makes sense. *shudder*

Maybe the big 15 are unaware? Tattoos are easier to pin down, two pairs of earings are easier. Either you have them or don't,

but boobs? big/small that can all be genetic. No bishop or SP wants to be accused of sexual harassment, if you know what I mean.

They can proclaim that oral sex in marriage is an unholy and impure practice. They can punish women for artificial insemination or for being a surrogate mother. They can condemn masturbation. They clearly don't have any problems with policing things that are very personal and not necessarily obvious.

More likely, some of the leaders' wives have had breast augmentation themselves and/or the leaders hope they will.

I heard that artificial insemination was okay, as long as the couple were married. I was acquainted with a TBM couple from Utah where the husband was sterile. They decided to have their kids via a sperm donor, & no one was excommunicated or disfellowshipped or anything.

Maybe church leaders ahould start doing augmentation feel ups like they do with garments.

I think it may be because Mormon men tend to like big boobs; the modification is OK if it's done for male pleasure. I know TBM women who've admitted they had enlargements to keep their husbands happy. Maybe what they really meant was they had boob jobs to keep their husbands.

Plastic surgery to keep women looking hot is big in the Morridor. One hears radio commercials and sees billboards everywhere for boob jobs, lipo, "mommy makeovers," etc. Right next to the billboards for modest-clothing companies. It's crazy.

I think there's this underlying anxiety in the culture that women are responsible for keeping their marriages together, so do whatever it takes to make sure the man is happy and doesn't stray or leave.

Have u ever seen what big boobs do ? They sag a lot with age. Another reason I wouldn't go plastic. They age awfully. I have seen an old hippie woman that had implants and sagging along with it. Not a pretty sight:(

That's funny about the hippie woman. My mom, rest her soul, had larger breasts that sagged, without having had implants, after having multiple childbirths.

I cared for an elderly woman p/t during college who was 93. Her breasts sagged all the way down to her waist, from the pull of gravity.

Not something I would care to replicate. Cleaning them was a bitch.

Jennie Jones, the talk show hostess from years back, had implants starting out in her career. They caused her so much discomfort and problems, she later had them taken out, and reverted back to her smaller cup size. She didn't miss them.

there is also a separate operation called a Breast Lift, not necessary to have them enlarged...

just sayin'

Immodest dress, tatoos, multiple earrings, etc., are for the most part things the brethren worry about young people doing. They have no qualms about telling teenagers and young adults what to do.

But once people are married, the standards gradually change. It is tougher to tell a 40-something woman, possibly in the relief society presidency, what to do with her body. Also, the threat of extramarital relations may seem lower; all forms of cosmetic surgery can be portrayed as strengthening an established marriage rather than weakening it. Then there is the obvious point that older men like older (less threatening) women who are attractive. So I'd say it is a combination of status--generally more mature, wealthier, part of the congregation--and the perception of slightly lower risk to community values.

That would change, of course, if the brethren started to think that a lot of teenaged Mormon girls were getting breast enhancements! The church would probably react angrily to that although they might try to draw a distinction between what is appropriate for young single women and older married women.

I love breasts and if a woman feels augmentation would improve the look of her breasts I'm all for that. Mormon leaders just need to shut their big yappers. Don't mess with boobies.

I actually had a breast reduction down to a DD cup. My back was killing me! My life since has been wonderful and pain free. Best decision ever.....and I love them!

Pollydee, I had a reduction years ago, too,and I'M so much more comfortable! I feel better and my clothes fit me better. Improvement is a good thing.

Curious, my church mom group was very into the whole nursing thing. Are Mormon women very hung up on nursing instead of bottlefeeding? I wonder if after having/nursing kids, some may want to feel their boobs are for more than childcare. IDK. Interesting topic.

I have implants, and from my perspective, I feel like this is a very personal decision. The reason for wanting and/or getting them varies greatly from woman to woman. It's not one size fits all (pun intended). I got mine for myself and no one else. I saved up for them for years, and paid for them entirely on my own. I won't go into a lot of detail as to why I felt it was the right decision for me, but suffice it to say, everyone has some part of their body they're self-conscious about. If there's a way to fix it, and you have the means, then why the fuck not?

I agree! The choice of the person. Just like lasik but no one bats an eye at that elective procedure. Still medically unnecessary..glasses provide enough. I am being sarcastic of course but mean every word.

If glasses screw up your depth perception and contacts hurt and irritate your eyes. Having severe allergies can make both glasses and contacts unfeasible options. Your insurance will probably still not pay for it, but there are medical reasons for this surgery.

I think us women should do what WE think is best for us without the pressure of other people's views on aesthetics. If that includes breast augmentation, tattoos, multiple piercings, or Lasik, go for it. If it becomes a problem, like body dysmorphia, then it's their choice to seek help for that issue. Intrinsic motivation is far more rewarding and long lasting than extrinsic. Women should not feel obligated to please the male gaze.

I have tattoos, piercings, leave my hair in it's natural curly state and I don't give a rat's ass if people don't like it. If I was concerned about what people thought about me, I'd still be a member of the cult. I've considered a boob job a few times, but I want to make sure I'm aware of all the risks involved. The poster above is right: We all have our body insecurities and it should be our choice to fix them. There really are medical reasons for many plastic surgeries, too, a labioplasty being one of them.

We already know that no matter what we do, it's never good enough for someone, so as a plus model says, 'eff your beauty standards.
http://www.styleite.com/news/tbt-this-awful-breast-shaming-ad-for-hair-goo/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2015 10:34AM by Itzpapalotl.

. . . I have no problem with a woman or a man getting cosmetic surgery, tatoos, multiple piercings, or pretty much anything else that doesn't harm others.

The question I (and probably most of the posters on this page) am addressing is why is there a discrepancy between the way some forms of body modification are treated and others.

I don't want to be seen as arguing against a woman's (or a man's) right to choose. If something makes you feel better, by all means go for it!

I hate when people look down on people who had a breast augmentation or give 100 reasons why they would not have one and think it is a bad idea. It's no different than telling me that my ink will look bad when I am old (or your breasts will sag), you will have to wear long sleeves all the time if you want a job (or you will be stuck with special order bras), people will judge you (or people will judge you), what happens if you get sick of them (explanation is expensive- do you REALLY want to go through surgery again? I lost a lot of weight, so I had a tummy tuck to remove excess skin, I could have had a BA at the same time. I go back and forth on whether to do it or not, like tattoos, I need to make 100% sure I want it done, so didn't do it, but if my mind changes, i would have the surgery. Looking down on women who augment is a form of body shaming. If YOU do not want larger breasts, fine, keep the ones you have. Don't go crapping all over another woman's decision to go bigger. Just like tattoos and piercings, you don't like 'em, don't get 'em!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2015 07:18AM by WickedTwin.

I totally understand what your saying and yes, it would make sense that LDS leadership would frown on body alternation surgery. They don't though, I am betting for multiple reasons. Multiple earings and tattoos just don't have the same payout..jk. Old men don't fold easily. Simple as that..

Would the church retain more men if there was a calling called "breast inspector" to see whose breast are real and whose are not? Plus, I'm betting plastic surgeons bring in more tithing dollars than tattoo artists.

They only care if you get a tattoo on your breast augmentation-nipple tattoo, or piercing. That makes Jesus cry. (No offense intended to cancer survivors... I'm simply mocking GBH since that was his revelation after 9/11.)

Women are objects in Mormonism. Polygamy is right around the corner... so they must be whatever the priesthood desires most. Boobs will be flattened in the resurrection, or maybe they no longer teach that either.

I haven't been to Utah since the surgery craze. Wasatch mountains have a whole new meaning in these thy latter days. Pioneer grandmas must be so proud of their legacy.

It's because tattoos, piercings, etc, suggest autonomy, perhaps an 'alternative' outlook. Getting breast implants is a very (mostly) heterosexual, white-lady-pleasing-her-man thing, which the Morg loves.

Like Tristan mentioned above, artificial insemintion is OK as long as it's a married couple, not a single woman.

Conforming to the appearance of a typical white-hetero-middle class family with kids ideal is good. Anything that might look like a deviation from that is bad.

Exactly. Lesbians, secure women, women who aren't obsessed with pleasing men, etc, etc, are much less likely to get breast implants. Breast implants fit into the 'heterosexual nuclear Mormon family' paradigm. Short hair, female security/confidence, having your own style, transgenderism, and on and on--those don't.

Okay, so ya'll want to see someone who was always what I considered a natural beauty, who took the plastic surgery full circuit?

She's still gorgeous. But she barely resembles the actress of her former days and glory.

Paul Hogan's ex-wife, Linda Koslowski. I barely recognize her in her current pictures, from her Crocodile Dundee days. :)

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/linda-kozlowski-opens-up-about-divorce-from-paul-hogan-20140916-10hhi7.html



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/08/2015 12:29PM by amyjo.

Wow, hot topic, with a lot of view points and considerations.

To any and all women, I'd say do what you think and believe is best for yourself, and prioritize your health and body image concerns in any way that suits your individual preferences.

To Naomi, I'll say "your husband was a jerk," and "you probably did the right thing to leave him."

No man should be badgering a woman to have cosmetic surgery.