News: Woman dies after cosmetic buttocks injections

This is an attention-grabbing headline, no? It might even elicit a few snickers. However, the circumstances behind the headline raises some troubling questions about the risks women will take to change the way they look.

The Associated Press (via CBC) is reporting that a woman from London who had a cosmetic buttocks injection in a Philadelphia hotel room died on Tuesday. Police are telling the press that they believe the procedure was preformed illegally.

According to a report in the UK-based The First Post, it’s suspected that 20-year-old Claudia Seye Aderotimi died of a heart attack after silicone entered her circulatory system.

"How could a woman put herself in danger for a bigger booty," you ask? Well, before judging Aderotimi, consider that she is far from alone in risking her life for her looks. The First Posts refers to three woman who have recently died after having plastic surgery, including a former Miss Argentina who died after receiving a legal buttocks enhancement. A 2007 study published in the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery found that 48 percent of women surveyed said they would be interested in getting cosmetic surgery, while 27 percent said they would possibly be interested.

While no surgery is without risk, plastic surgery performed by a licensed practitioner is obviously in a completely different safety category than getting injections in a hotel room. However, the sentiment is the same’if given the opportunity, most women would undergo risky surgery to change the way they look.

And if you think that only applies to American women, think again: a recent global survey revealed that Canada is number 15 on a list of the 25 countries where the most cosmetic procedures are performed.

As a woman, I know I have a rocky relationship with my own appearance. Sometimes I love my curves and sometimes my self-esteem takes a vacation and I wish I could look more like Natalie Portman, Amy Adams or some other frequent flyer on the red carpet. It’s being reported that Aderotimi was a hip-hop dancer who believed a larger bum would help her career. If faced with the same pressure, would I succumb to my insecurities and undergo the only surgery I could afford? I’d like to think not, but my chosen career has me sitting behind a desk rather than dancing in front of a crowd.

Have you ever considered plastic surgery?

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