American movie stars became the face of the silicone breast phenomenon decades ago.
Pamela Anderson’s silicone breasts attracted attention in the 1990s. Shutterstock
Exactly thirty years ago on October 3, 1993, Iltalehti’s cover was graced with a dramatic headline: “All from silicone breasts”.
In the 1980s, the silicone breast craze was born, during which millions of American women, along with several public figures, adopted silicone breasts. The craze started with a change in the perception of beauty at the time, when the idealization and pursuit of youth began to rear its head in Western cultures.
By the beginning of the 1990s, the discussion and attitude atmosphere around silicone breasts turned on its head. With the craze, installed silicone breasts quickly appeared in a bad light.
Kris Jenner adopted silicone breasts in the 1980s. Bei/Shutterstock
From a fad to a complete ban
The history of silicone breasts begins in 1955. In the same year, a polyurethane bag with a polyvinyl sponge inside was invented in the United States. The actual silicone breasts were invented some years later.
The popularity of silicone breasts began to grow in the United States during the 1980s, when the idealization and pursuit of youth as a trend began to rear its head. Many public figures ended up getting breast implants in the vanguard. Nearly 100,000 pairs of silicone breasts were fitted to American women nationwide each year. By the beginning of the 1990s, approximately two million pairs of silicone breasts had been installed.
1991 was a turning point for silicone breasts. The discussion around silicone breasts had intensified, as silicone breasts had caused many problems for women.
In America, a wave of lawsuits arose when silicone from breast prostheses made of silicone had spread to, for example, the armpits. Wild rumors also began to spread in the United States about breast implant-caused cancerous tumors, autoimmune diseases, and fatal neurological diseases, even though no scientific support was found behind the claims.
Regret and misfortune
Breast prostheses containing silicone for cosmetic use were banned in the United States in 1991, as well as in several European countries. Only prostheses containing table salt could be used freely.
It was decided to withdraw silicone breasts from the market, as their safety could not be guaranteed. The following year, the rules relaxed and the installation of silicone breasts was accepted in emergency cases, such as reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. The ban lasted a long time. Silicone breasts were only allowed to be installed for cosmetic purposes in the 21st century.
Silicone implants have evolved over time. Public figures are still talking about the complications and harm caused by breast implants installed more than 30 years ago.
For example, in 2016 in the reality series The Perfect Women of Beverly Hills we got to follow society beauty Yolanda Hadid’s journey in removing implants. Hadid’s implants in the early 1990s had leaked silicone extensively into her body.
Dolly Parton has said that she spent up to a million dollars on breast surgeries. PDO
The musician Dolly Parton has said in public that she spent about one million dollars on breast surgeries. Parton, like Hadid, has suffered physical pain and discomfort due to the silicone implants installed on her. Despite everything, Parton still has implants, as he considers them an important trademark.
Baywatch star Pamela Anderson became famous in the 1990s for her silicone breasts, as the implants were very large compared to the petite Anderson’s body. Anderson ended up removing the implants in 1999. He said in public that he regretted taking too large implants for a long time. Anderson said that large implants were popular in the entertainment world of the time.