AsiaOne: Thanks to a cosmetic procedure, Hong Qiu Ting can now fill an A-cup brassiere, or bra.
But the 23-year-old suffered a lot of flak not because she got a boob job, but because she solicited for a free boob job online. Sometime in mid-November, she actually received a sponsorship for breast-fillers by Dr Jonathan Lee, a consultant surgeon.
The celebrity blogger, better known in the blogosphere as QiuQiu, was flamed by netizens after she openly sought out sponsorship for her 'boob job' through her blog earlier in May.
She was even labeled a "beggar" blogger for doing so, and the incident made headlines in several local dailies in Singapore.
However, the issue here: Is it morally right for anyone to actively seek and accept sponsorship for cosmetic surgeries, particularly by capitalizing on their celebrity status to get a freebie in return for free publicity?
There is also the ethical question. According to the rules of the medical profession, doctors can be disqualified from practice if found to have "engaged in unprofessional conduct" such as blatantly advertising such procedures.
But QiuQiu isn't the only blogger who has openly asked for sponsorship for cosmetic surgery.
On 13 December 2006, famous local blogger Xiaxue acknowledged on her blog that she had a sponsored nose job.
In the entry, she said "From articles like this, you know that I wanted a nose job a long time ago, just that I didn't have to money to do it till now (since it's sponsored by the best surgeon, of course jump at the chance man!)."
Bloggers are known to share their personal experiences through advertorials in return for sponsorships.
So is it alright for 'celebrities' to ask for freebies, and is it right for cosmetic surgeons to sponsor procedures knowing they are getting publicity despite technically not breaking any rules?
