A woman looking at a big busted mannequin in cloth store
How Miss Universe competition and mannequins have played a significant role in destroying Venezuelan women? Before answering the question we need to go back more than three decades ago. During the late 70s and 80s Venezuelan beauty queens became a national obsession because of winning Miss Universe competition three times. It had a long term effect in Venezuelan society. Now women are more desperate to look beautiful.
On the other hand recent trend of displaying big busted mannequins have led many Venezuelan women to believe that their bust size should be like those mannequins on clothing stores. So how those big busted mannequins became widespread? It has an interesting background.
Mannequins in Venezuelan cloth stores were more or less like real women. But changed perception of beauty has made many women think that their bust size should be bigger and cosmetic surgery was becoming popular day by day. Mannequin manufacturers experimented with big busted mannequins; it’s like a surgery on imported mannequins. Like plastic surgery mannequin bust and buttocks are augmented in local workshops. It increased mannequin sale and sale of women clothing in those stores where these fantasy shaped mannequins are on display. Manufacturers say this trend has saved them from bankruptcy.
Now one in three Venezuelan women are going through breast and butt augmentation surgery. Even many low income working class Venezuelan women and their husbands save money for cosmetic surgery. It’s a symbol of status there and they talk about it freely. It’s clearly contrary to the socialist ideology of the country. Late president Hugo Chávez termed it as “monstrous” and said poor women are spending money on breast surgeries when they are failing to meet many essential needs.
Getting bulging bosom and cantilevered buttocks are not risk free. Local media reported several accidents where some women died of faulty injections given to firm up their buttocks.
