Cambodia Calling: Cosmetic surgery in Cambodia

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Cosmetic surgery in Cambodia

When we first moved to Cambodia, one of our Khmer friends working with a local NGO told us of the importance of having "White face, sharp nose", especially when it comes to securing funding. Westerners trust a fellow Westerner over a Khmer (or any other Asian apparently), he said.

I was reminded of this "White face, sharp nose" comment when I read this AFP story"Cambodia cosmetic surgery booms amid dubious quality":

"I'm very afraid, but ready for it," said Phorn Lisa, a 25-year-old at a prominent cosmetic surgery clinic in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. "I want to have a beautiful sharp nose because I'm not satisfied with my Cambodian big nose."

Meanwhile, Veasna, 40, profoundly regrets the face lift she had at a cheap clinic. Her face is swollen and red, especially around the eyes. "I've been in terrible pain," she said, visibly upset and awaiting corrective surgery. "But I want to look young and beautiful. Otherwise, my husband will run away with other girls."

Incredibly, the owner of a clinic in Phnom Penh claims Cambodia is a place for medical tourism, serving clients from the US, France and Australia. "They mostly come for nose jobs, silicon implants, breast enlargements and scar revisions," the owner of one clinic, Davy Ariya said. The cost is between 280 to 600 USD for a nose job and 1500 to 1700 for a boob job. I say incredible because the prices may be lower than elsewhere but so are medical regulatory standards. There's hardly any recourse if the beautician does a botched job. What medical tourist would risk that?

It seems Cambodian women aim for "what they perceive as the more delicate looks of popular Korean and Chinese film stars."

2 comments:

Ron said...: Wow! Whatever happened to the traditional Khmer girl? Hard to find these days.

And it's amazing how you mentioned that the clinic caters to western clients. That's truly something. I bet it's probably a quarter of the price compared to the U.S.

Hmmmm, I've always wanted a larger toe..... :)

Have a great weekend Diana!; 12:02 am
Mrs happy meal! said...: Very disappointing and yes, whatever happened to the traditional Khmer girl with natural beauty.; 8:35 am

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Some argue that "Shopping is more important than voting", and that the disposition of money is the most basic role we play in any system of economics. Some theorists believe that it is the clearest way that we express our actual moral choices, i.e., if we say we care about something but continue to buy from parties that have a high probability of risk of harm or destruction of that thing, we really don't care about it; we are practicing a form of simple hypocrisy." - Ethical Consumerism, Wikipedia

THE BLOOM MANIFESTO

1. We believe in the right of all people to a decent life, free of poverty and with access to education

2. We believe you will be enriched helping the poor

3. We believe women hold up half the sky

4. We believe workers should always be paid a fair wage

5. We believe if you knew the truth, you would not be an accessory to the exploitation of workers

6. We believe exploitation is evil

7. We believe in the power of good over evil

8. We believe in the power of the individual to bring about change

9. We believe your bag is a reflection of you - are you really a sheep?

10. We believe quality is worth paying for

11. We believe in love at first sight - at least where our bags are concerned!

12. We believe in life, liberty and the pursuit of handbags!

WHAT IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE?

A social enterprise has as its central objective, a social or environmental purpose, and not the obsession with profits. Yes, of course we want to be profitable, but it is so we can hire even more people in unfortunate circumstances, and offer them a shot at a better life, and not because we want to "increase shareholder value" or for the sake of lining our personal pockets. In fact, the only foreign staff (and founder/funder) does not get a salary from Bloom.

At Bloom, our mission is to alleviate poverty and save the environment at the same time, through our recycled bags.

As a social enterprise in Cambodia, we are competing with many NGOs on the one hand (which get donations) and for want of a better word, capitalistic businesses (which drive down costs in an effort to maximise profits). We recognise and accept the challenges that face all business, but are committed to principles of Fair Play, and will NEVER sacrifice those principles in order to be competitive. This means, for instance, we will never sacrifice workers' pay just so our bags will be cheaper. The average pay at Bloom today is 2.13 times the market rate.

So please, before you ask us to discount our bags, remember that we are not a minimum wage factory; we are a social enterprise. If you want a cheap factory-made bag, Bloom is not what you are looking for. If you agree that workers (where-ever they are--Singapore, Germany, France, the US) should always be paid fairly and are not here to produce goods and services at low wages for the profit of big business, then please consider Bloom. Bloom bags are all hand-made by our small team who spend our working hours dreaming up and making bags.

All Bloom profits go to our Khmer staff and to growing Bloom. Ultimately the aim is for Bloom to be a workers' cooperative, where workers own, manage, grow the business and share the profits.

WHO WE ARE

Bloom is a social enterprise established in Sept 2006 with the intention of providing fair-paying jobs to abandoned, widowed and divorced Cambodian women. Bloom is not a factory. We are a small workshop of nine people who work closely as a team to produce original, quality handmade bags made from recycled rice and fish feed bags.

Every Bloom Bag is meticulously designed, cut, glued and sewn by the Bloom team in our workshop in Phnom Penh. Each bag is handmade with love and attention to detail (the Bloom team really enjoys making bags!), resulting in beautiful, unique bags we are sure you will love and your friends will want!

All Bloom Bags are handmade by our team. We do not outsource to other sewers because we want to be in control of the supply chain, to ensure that everyone involved in making a Bloom Bag is paid fairly. There is no middleman taking a cut and passing on the work to another.

Please Visit Bloom's new workshop off Norodom Boulevard in Phnom Penh and our retail outlets. Bloom is next to Warehouse Pub in the Old Market Area in Siem Reap and at No.808 Russian Market, Phnom Penh.