I don’t watch much television, and when I do, I generally prefer British crime dramas (Inspector Lewis, Poirot) or HGTV.

One evening I was flipping through channels and found a show about ‘Real Housewives’ of somewhere or other. I’ve been a real housewife, and I can tell you that my life of laundry and dishes and diapers bore very little resemblance to the lives of the women on that show.

What really captured my attention, though, is that the women had undergone so much plastic surgery that they barely looked human.

My guess is that these women are being held up as examples of appropriate femininity. They are ultra-thin and wear tight clothing and toddle around on 5-inch heels.

My friend Sue once dared me to put on a pair of 4-inch heels when we were shoe shopping. I could barely keep my balance standing in one place. How on earth do these women chase their kids around a playground?

Back to the plastic surgery question: Is it a good idea? I agree that every woman (and man) has the right to do whatever she wants to feel better about herself.

There are also situations where plastic surgery is considered medically desirable (ie breast reduction.)

Is there some point at which the doctor should say, “Maybe breasts the size of beach balls aren’t a good look for you,” or “That Botox-zombie-eye thing makes you look ridiculous.”

Confession Time: I hate needles. I’m not particularly fond of doctors or hospitals, either, so my opinion on this subject may not be completely unbiased.

At what point do we stop promoting “plastic” as the norm? Is plastic surgery a good idea?