Between one and two million women have breast implants. Before 1992—when the controversy over possible side effects made world headlines—about 150,000 women received implants annually, and since 1994 about 70,000 women a year undergo implantation. About one-fifth of all implant operations are performed for reconstructive purposes following mastectomies, with the remaining 80 percent for cosmetic purposes. The two most common types of implants are silicone and saline, silicone being associated with the greater number of health risks. Few objects are more emblematic of the male obsession with the female breast and the sacrifices women are willing to make in order to live up to the male ideal, with thousands of women now suffering ill effects from having undergone the operation. Some blame the mass media—and even the Barbie doll, which if life-size would measure 40-18-32—for giving women a false self-image. The popularity of implants has alternatively...