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2012-12-05

Cash Cow Disease

So it's back to business as usual. As it turns out Melanie Martinez was voted out (oops! sorry! spoiler alert), so we're going to be spared Aguilera's monologues on set design. Anyway, as promised, my living dolls series continues with someone who has spent over half a million dollars on plastic surgery to vaguely (but not really) resemble Barbie: Sarah Burge.

Sarah with daughter Poppy
As she relates her own life, this UK personality is no stranger to drama, trauma and self-abuse. Now, she's making her money as a plastic surgery consultant, running a promotional talent firm, guesting on a radio show and writing erotica under the pseudonym Madam Pink, in addition to being an anti-domestic violence advocate and fundraiser. That's pretty damn impressive.

She was introduced to the world of plastic surgery when she was severely beaten as a young girl and had to have reconstruction on her face during a time when she was being exploited as a Playboy Bunny. (Probably a version of toddlers' and girls' beauty pageants) This certainly sheds light into the woman that she is today.

Yet, it's not all this that she's known for. Most recently, she's known for being kicked off Anderson Cooper's show in May 2012 because she had given her daughter Poppy a sizable voucher for plastic surgery to be cashed in when she turns 18. Copper called her "dreadful" saying he had nothing to talk to her about, later commenting that he regretted having her on the show. Watch for yourself:




A crapstorm of controversy has raged at Burge since this story broke with accusations and recrimination flying like confetti at a wedding. I'm torn on this subject. I get why people are pissed. Like Alana Thompson, Poppy is being pushed into the public eye way too young and being given the message that she needs to artificially augment her looks in order to be beautiful. On the other hand, I understand that, to Burge, plastic surgery is not only acceptable but desirable; so, to her, such a gift is perfectly "natural". However, the girl was 7 years old at the time. At that age. children are not able to think critically and differentiate between a choice and a necessity.

My problem is with Anderson Cooper and others who bring Burge on their shows, giving her the publicity, only to tear her down. Again, media is gleefully dancing around their hypocrisy. On the one hand, they've flooded us with shows promoting children in roles they have no business being in, getting the publicity they can in no way handle; yet on the other hand, they turn their judgmental noses up on the likes of Burge.

Are there issues there? Undoubtedly. But who doesn't have issues whether they are in the public eye or not. Does the media exploit these issues to keep feeding their insatiable thirst for ratings which translates to money? Indeed they do. They need to make a decision. Either they don't approve which means abolishing all such shows to the rejection board or they stop pretending to have ethics. You can't have your cash cow and eat it too.

Stay tuned! :)


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