The Food and Drug Administration issued a notice today regarding a rare form of cancer and its link to breast implants, although women who have augmented breasts have not been advised to seek any sort of treatment above and beyond standard health care screenings.

The link detected by the FDA is between anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), a cancer that affects the immune system, and both silicone and saline breast implants. Although it is estimated that women who have breast implants number between five and ten million globally, only 60 cases of the cancer in patients with breast implants have surfaced.

A spokeswoman for Allergan, whose products along with Johnson & Johnson’s were linked to the cases, downplayed the concerns in an emailed statement:

“A woman is more likely to be struck by lightning than get this condition,” said Caroline Van Hove… “Patients’ safety is Allergan’s absolute first priority and we continue all efforts to collect and analyze further information about the very rare occurrence of ALCL in patients with breast implants.”

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons expressed concern that the report would hamper access to the popular cosmetic enhancement:

“For nearly 20 years American women were denied access to their choice of breast implants because of false claims and unfounded science,” said Phillip Haeck, the physician group’s president, in a statement. “We are determined this shouldn’t happen again.”

One theory floated about the link suggests that local T cells could be stimulated by the presence of the implant, precipitating lymphoma.

FDA: Breast implants may be linked to rare cancer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Finally, someone has found the answer to a question academics and non-academics have pondered for a long time: does research grant money cover trips to Hooters?

Cornell University’s Prof. Michael Lynn spoke to the Cornell Daily Sun about a survey of 374 waitresses, their perceived “sexiness,” and how it relates to the gratuities they receive at work. Not surprisingly, the small study revealed, tits equal tips. Lynn, who is not exactly the most eloquent man, explains:

“…it’s always important to test what seems like obvious cultural wisdom.”

“It also informs management decisions about who to hire,” Lynn added, explaining that servers who earn higher tips are more desirable employees because they are likely to stay at their job longer. Higher tips also indicate higher customer approval of the server, and by association, the establishment in general.

“[Restaurants] might very well want to hire waitresses who will earn larger tips,” Lynn said. “[These employees] can largely be identified through their physical characteristics.”

Lynn’s suggestion of reinforcing the looks-based tipping culture may not go over well with thinking people, who might balk at his comment that “ugly people are not a protected class, legally.” Lynn’s remarks didn’t seem to sit well with fellow Cornell staff member, Prof. Sherry F. Colb (the article says Colb “studies sexual equality”), who suggests that tip pooling might be a better option than just insinuating ugly people or those with “droopy breasts” are doomed to lower incomes:

“Like the employer who fails to promote an employee because she does not sufficiently conform to the feminine stereotype, restaurant owners share in the blame for utilizing a pay structure that turns unenlightened customers into the ‘boss’ in charge of determining a server’s take-home pay,” she said.

You can read the entirety of Lynn’s comments here.

Newsflash: Bigger boobs, bigger tips is a post from: The Inquisitr

Kate Hudson has always openly acknowledged her tiny breasts.

“I have small breasts, obviously,” Kate Hudson proudly proclaimed at the 2002 Golden Globes. “It’s nice to be able to wear a plunging neckline and have it be elegant.”

The willowy actress has a slight frame, and has previously chosen outfits that show off her gamine figure. But now US magazine is speculating that Hudson, daughter of Goldie Hawn, has left the itty bitty titty committee after she was photographed poolside in Miami sporting slightly larger breasts.

Going by the picture, if Hudson had work done, it was slight and subtle. They’re certainly not like Heidi Montag’s giant plastic monstrosities, and I’ve seen smaller-breasted friends get the same result with properly fitted wonderbras and “chicken cutlets.”

US quoted an unnamed source about the possibility that Hudson had her tatas enhanced:

Explains another source, “Kate makes jokes about her boobs, but her chest has always been one of her biggest insecurities.”

US also contacted Hudson’s rep, who declined to comment on the boob situation.

Pic: Kate Hudson’s new boobs? is a post from: The Inquisitr

While the result was unintended and certainly not comical for this poor woman, it’s difficult not to picture a boob-crazed surgeon responding like, “you didn’t want four breasts? Should I not have done that?”

47-year-old Maria Alaimo of Staten Island is suing her surgeon, Dr. Keith Berman, for complications including “painful ‘double bubble’ deformities” following a breast augmentation. For an alarmingly low $2,999 plus a $500 “referral fee” in 2003 (less than half of the region’s market rate for breast implant surgery) Alaimo received the procedure she claims has ruined her life:

“(Her breasts) appear flattened on the bottom with severe swells the size of a softball on top.” In court documents, Alaimo claims those disfigurements caused “pain … disability, loss of self-esteem, humiliation and embarrassment.”

Alaimo also claims that the allegedly botched surgery ultimately lead to her divorce, citing intimacy issues following the procedure. Alaimo is suing for $5 million, but an attorney for the doctor says that “there are no guarantees” in plastic surgery:

The doctor’s attorney, Jerry Giardina, said Alaimo should have been more aware of the risks of plastic surgery before she went under the knife. “Plastic surgery is trivialized, but the reality is that plastic surgery is just that—surgery. There are no guarantees. What one person responds to, another does not.”

[Gothamist via Consumerist]

NYC woman sues plastic surgeon for implants resulting in four breasts is a post from: The Inquisitr

Are you feeling lucky?

[Source: Imagechan]

A more grown-up Google Doodle is a post from: The Inquisitr

Warning: boobies.

WJLA in Washington set off a bit of controversy in a segment yesterday by showing nipples in their entirety on broadcast tee-vee. In the horrifying, seedy context of a breast self-exam. Video below shows the shocking and perverse video, wherein a 28-year-old woman (apparently lacking breasts) shows viewers how to perform a breast self-exam to raise awareness of breast cancer in the final few days of breast cancer awareness month.

WJLA admits that Americans may not yet be ready for breast self exams on TV, but that the content (boobs?) of the clip was valuable. You can watch the clip below, but if you have small children in the house or in adjacent homes, you may want to sedate them or send them to stay with grandparents before viewing.

[via Townhall]

(Video) Everybody panic: “Uncensored” breast exam airs on WJLA is a post from: The Inquisitr

I have a sneaking suspicion men will consider this a win while women will say it’s total fail.

[Wedinator]

Blushing bride fail is a post from: The Inquisitr

Would you like girl on girl action with your coffee?

Five baristas at the Everett Grab n Go coffee drive through in Everett, Washington have been charged with prostitution after offering some “secret menu” options to patrons. In a two month long sting, cops allege that they uncovered instances of employees licking whipped cream off each other, exposing their genitals and groping one another’s breasts and buttocks for as much as $80 in “tips” from customers. Damningly, a detective brought along a city prosecutor, who also witnessed some of the lewd behavior:

An Everett detective took a city prosecutor to the stand to witness firsthand the activities of the baristas. During that visit, two women allegedly engaged in a “whipped cream show,” in which they sprayed whipped cream on each other and licked it off.

On a second visit, a detective was told he couldn’t have a mocha because the stand was out of chocolate. He also was told he couldn’t order a small drink because they only served 20-ounce beverages.

The barista told him that for $20, she and the other barista would give him a show. He paid and they bared their breasts and pulled down their undergarments, police reports said.

The investigation was initiated after more than 40 complaints by local whiners residents that women were flashing patrons at the bikini stands. The women, who were not arrested, range in age from 18 to 24 and are due in court next month.

Grab N Go Espresso baristas charged with serving more than coffee is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tired of boring old boozy alcohol?

Via Gizmodo, a new way to add more tatas to your tipple. The description says it all:

Just fill the breast mold with water, and in two days, you will have two rock hard boobs waiting to be filled with an alcoholic beverage of your choice! You can even spice up your Boob Ice Luge by adding LED Pucks, see below!

Although boobs + booze can only equal win, do you think your tongue could get stuck to it?

Add breasts to your binge drinking with the Boob Luge is a post from: The Inquisitr

Hey… hey! The post is down here!

Rocket Scientists have proven that 47% of men notice a woman’s breasts before all else. A third will check out a woman’s waist and hips (what may be colloquially known as an “ass man”) and fewer than 20% will look at a woman’s face first. (Which stands to reason, they’re not nearly as compelling when you throw a bucket of cold water on them, amirite?)

While scientists believe there may be an evolutionary component to the behavior, they concede it might not be all that scientific either:

‘Men may be looking more often at the breasts because they are simply aesthetically pleasing, regardless of the size,’ they said.

The study gauged where, how long, and how many times men directed their gaze to certain areas of a woman’s body. And breasts were definitely king:

Eighty per cent of first fixations were on the breasts and midriff. Men spent consistently more time looking at the breasts and also made significantly more fixations upon them than other regions.’

It also found that men began to gaze at the ‘components of the hourglass figure’ within 0.2 seconds.

The research also discovered that few glances were directed at the arms, lower legs and feet.

[Via Jezebel]

Science shocker: men do notice boobs first after all is a post from: The Inquisitr

Now I can’t really say much about this being a man and all but somehow this strikes me just as a little bit on the wrong side. Not to mention some curiosity about how you would actually get something like this Kush contraption to stay in place all night.

Their sales blurb

After comprehensive research and testing, Kush was developed as an anatomically contoured accessory offering both health and beauty benefits. Made from a lightweight plastic with a slip-resistant outer coating, Kush is uniquely designed to fit between the breasts to maintain a more natural shape while resting on your side. No straps, no underwires, no constraints, no adhesives and no garments needed – the slip-resistant surface and contoured shape help keep Kush in place as a woman rolls from one side to the other during sleep.

All this for the price of $38.95 for the small, $39.95 for the medium, or $42.00 for the large. Wow.

Hey Ladies – need some nighttime breast support? [VIDEO] is a post from: The Inquisitr

A group of large busted British women have threatened to storm the annual meeting of Marks & Spencer to protest the store’s policy of charging more for bigger bras.

The women intend to confront M&S boss, Sir Stuart Rose about what they consider to be unfair discrimination against large busted women. Marks & Spencer charges £2 more for bras that are DD in size or larger. The store’s rationalization is that it costs them more in time, technology and materials to produce the larger product.

Calling themselves “Busts 4 Justice,” the women are not taking the perceived price gouging lightly. They have garnered widespread support for their cause, even going to the extent of setting up a Facebook group to spread the word and collecting a large sum of money they used to buy M&S shares, giving them the right to be present at the company’s annual meeting as shareholders.

Co-founder of Busts 4 Justice, Beckie Williams, and their supporters have already held talks with the M&S lingerie team without getting the result they want.

Williams, a childrens writer from Brighton who is also a size 34E, says they will take their campaign to the M&S shareholders at the AGM in July.

“We are very disappointed with their decision. They haven’t listened to us as customers, so now maybe they’ll have to listen to us as shareholders. Marks & Spencer is Britain’s biggest lingerie seller so we want them to change their pricing for all the women affected. I still don’t think they can justify this charge since many of their rivals charge the same price regardless of size.”

In an email memo leaked to Busts 4 Justice, M&S reps said in no uncertain terms that they would not be pressured into changing their pricing “in the current climate.”

[Source: The Daily Mail]

Big Breasted Brits Bash Marks & Spencer for Price Gouging is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ugandan police have issued a warning about women using chloroform smeared on their breasts, to knock men out before robbing them blind. A brilliant plan!

Apparently, a criminal gang has been using well-endowed women to attract potential robbery targets. When the guys get too close they pass out, allowing the gang to get busy.

“You find the person stripped totally naked and everything is taken from him,” explains a police spokesman. “And the victim doesn’t remember anything. He just remembers being in the act of romancing.”

Yes romancing. That was definitely what the guy was doing.

Police say the breasts  gangs are targeting traveling businessmen, who tend to carry more cash, and they should be extra careful while in Uganda.

The victims were robbed of their belongings, including clothes, and found naked “knockered out” (boom tish), when what they really wanted was to be found naked in a conscious state.  Its a breast scam. I’ll stop now.

Men are Booby Trapped in Uganda is a post from: The Inquisitr