"If life was fair, Elvis would be alive and all the impersonators would be dead." - Johnny Carson

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An Economic Analysis of Advertising and Bust Enhancement in Singapore

"It was reported in the Straits Times on February 17th that advertisements from two companies offering bust enhancement services were to be blocked by the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (Asas) because they did not carry disclaimers stating that their results were not verified by scientific studies. This case raises pertinent questions about the role of advertising in a market economy, especially with respect to non-surgical bust enhancement, which has become increasingly popular in recent years, as a scan of Singaporean newspapers will show."

Comments, analyses, criticisms, suggestions and clarifications with respect to my draft are eagerly sought, preferably before my deadline (end Monday/early Tuesday).

[Addendum:

Previously my essay would have started in a different manner, like so:

"Women have many options for making themselves look beautiful: cosmetics, plastic surgery, clothing and the like, but as far as enhancing the appearance of their busts is concerned, they have three choices: breast implants, helpful lingerie and non-surgical bust enhancement; these three are substitute goods for each other, with the demand for each being related to the demand for the other two. Implants and lingerie have been available to women for quite some time, but in recent years, non-surgical bust enhancement has become more popular, as evidenced by the proliferation of bust enhancement ads in Singaporean newspapers. These ads, which can be seen in newspapers everyday, promise women bigger busts using non-surgical methods and natural extracts.

Before bust enhancement gained in popularity, women had recourse to two other methods of enhancing their cleavage: breast implants and helpful lingerie. However, these two methods have their drawbacks: implants require surgery, which leaves scars and has the potential for future complications. There is also the danger of leakage: leaking silicone implants are hazardous to health, while leaking saline implants may necessitate additional surgery. Besides which, implants look and feel fake. As for helpful lingerie, it is not a permanent solution, and as with implants, it looks and feels fake, and isn’t satisfying."


I was also going to talk about Maslow's hierarchy of needs (and bust enhancement being quite high in the hierarchy), bust enhancement being a normal good, and women being conscious of their body image.]

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The January 2002 archives and February 2002 archives have been restored.

More Miserable Moanings and tales of Obedience School have now been returned to circulation for perusal.

God, it's been 3 years, yet rereading my posts from the time can still make me miserable. I'm not sure that I would be able to take another 30 months of that torture. No matter, it is all a nightmare now, a bad dream that never happened.

Though I did find this gem amusing: "Apparently many people lose their faith while they are indentured. I don't intend to let that happen."

Ah, the witless naivete of youth!

Blast from the past: Seen on a T-Shirt: "Pain is temporary, glory is forever". My response: "Satisfaction from testosterone-driven acts undertaken under peer pressure is temporary, injury is forever".

***

On my forthcoming Economic Analysis of Bust Enhancement in Singapore:


Someone: placebo effect may not be that relevant

Me: can you think your boobs bigger?

Someone: i don't think u can 'think' your boobs bigger.
oh
wait.
HMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm....................
i wouldn't know really..
hahahahahhahah
PLEASE don't conduct a survey!!!!!!
DON'T!!!


Someone else on the same: ok i've only read to page 3 but i have to say
u have amazingly made both bust enhancement and econs interesting
in a way i've never thought possible

Patch on the same: eh
cannot remember my econs

This is what spending the equivalent of 1 1/2 semesters majoring in Economics in Chicago does to you... No wonder NUS is 10th in the world rankings for Social Sciences! So, boys and girls, come to the Premier Institution of Social Engineering!


Someone: i was going through my girlfriend's IE favorites
and guess wot i found?

Me: hahahaha
let me guess
asian prince
steven lim

Someone: YOUR FRIGGIN' QUOTES PAGE, the one that was contributed by ME
you bitch

***

My writing tutor was saying how in an essay you need a thesis, just as how in a movie you need a plot.

I then told a classmate: "Spirited Away".


My sister wrote a paper in 1994 about the difference between the American writing style and the non-American writing style.

She said American essays are like symphonies and sonatas - subject, exposition and then resolution, while non-American essays are like fugues - everything is going on at the same time, but there is an order in there.

***

David's Daily Diversions

"The ban on fox hunting will not stop the killing of foxes. Foxes may still be killed with guns. They are, after all, pests. Until the Labour parliamentary mob completely run all the farmers out of business (and they are working hard at it) foxes will still kill livestock. They just may not be killed by hounds. This will put thousands of hounds out of work.

What happens to thousands of hounds out of work? They will have to be put down. So all the foxes will still be killed and now so will the hounds. And what of the jobs that depend on foxhunting? Those people will be at the local Job Centre claiming the tax money paid by the toffs, rather than being paid wages from the toffs. And they will no longer be paying any taxes, since they no longer earn a living."

***

"And no, it's not just your imagination. Underwear companies note that Singapore women are becoming bustier. Five years ago, the average size was 34A. Today, it is 34B." (Ginnie Teo. “Uplift, upsize, upgrade.”, The Straits Times, October 19, 2003)

See? It's not just my imagination! Must be all the bust enhancement treatments Singaporean women are going for.

The essay I'm writing on bust enhancement isn't as fun as I thought it would be (since I have to make it relevant for my purposes), but reading past ST articles on bust enhancement is still helluva amusing.


The ST (which can stand for whatever you want it to stand for) has made up a quote again!

Luther has been quoted as saying: "You are a geek only when you don't have varied interests" when in fact he never said anything of the sort, ie He was not paraphrased, but had words put into his mouth.

I just knew this would happen again. So much for the responsible reporting that we have in a society imbued with Asian Values.

Maybe I should start reading the ST again so I can pick out all these things. Then again I'd rather spend my time more enjoyably and productively finishing Power Rangers Turbo.