Would you be offended if your boyfriend offered to pay for your boob job?

Is this a not-so-subtle hint or simple blind male generosity? Melanie Vella speaks to girlfriends with varying bra sizes and opinions.

Remember that band ‘Aqua’ and their 1997 catchy song ‘Barbie Girl’? This tune sung praises of life in plastic being so fantastic. Yet do the lyrics imply just the opposite? The Barbie and Ken interplay seems to be degrading at best: ‘Make me walk, make me talk, do whatever you please’.  But was this a subliminal way of poking fun at girls whose desire for a boob job comes from a pushy boyfriend’s ‘subtle’ hints?

Some people take this to be the telling sign of an unhealthy relationship. But when celebrities like Victoria Beckham made boob jobs the order of the day and an only too appropriate gift from their better half, things changed. Now some women are all too happy to accept free beauty booty, no matter how potentially offensive.

Maria Vella, 32, sales assistant from Rabat; bra size: 36C
A boob job isn’t cheap so if my boyfriend offered to pay for it, I’d know he were considering a future with me. I’m not the most confident person so a boob job could help and it would probably improve our relationship in the bedroom too.

Rachel Dimech, 20, student from Birkirkara; bra size: 34BB
I’m not sure what my reaction would be because I don’t want them right now but never say never. It would depend on our relationship and if I knew we were in it for the long haul. The only thing that would worry me is whether he would demand his money back the relationship were to end. I probably couldn’t afford it!

Martina Camillieri, 27, manager from Mosta; bra size: 32A
I’d be flattered. I constantly pad my bras to fill them out so I don’t look like a 12-year-old. My boyfriend has a steady job, so if he offered to fund my breast implants, I’d take it as a sign he would do anything to make me happy. What’s the big deal? We share a home loan anyway; he’s going to be enjoying them too after all! I think judging a relationship based on something like this is superficial in itself.

Tina Azzopardi, 24, full-time hairdresser from San Gwann; bra size: irrelevant
If my boyfriend suggested I alter my body to suit him by having surgery, I’d hit the brakes on that joyride! He may be willing to pay for it, but that clearly shows he doesn’t accept me the way I am. Everyone would like to improve some part of their body, but I would never go to the extreme of invading it with something so unnatural, especially not to please him!

When considering a boob job, take time to reflect on your motivations. Do research so that you’ll know exactly what you are getting yourself into. And at the end of the day, remember that this decision is all about you –you’re the only person who has to live with the results.

Is life in plastic fantastic? We take a trip down memory lane!