Augmentational embarrassment

In an episode of House, a female patient, who is trying to fly for NASA, is faced with a dilemma: choosing between her life or her dream. It is revealed that this patient has either lung cancer or a genetic disease that causes the growth of cysts in her lungs. Because of the program she is trying to get in at NASA, she cannot reveal any kind of medical implication that might disqualify her from achieving her dream of flying in outer space. If she were to allow Dr. House to operate on her lungs, scars would be left behind that could possibly disqualify her. In an attempt to accommodate her dreams and still save her life, it is suggested that she have breast augmentation to act as an innocent explanation to the nature of her scars. She is reluctant to agree to the procedure because she fears she would not be taken seriously if she had breast implants. This is a very powerful statement about the image of women in the professional world.

Can women who have had breast augmentation be taken seriously in an array of professions? This is something I have not considered, or payed any attention to, in a long time because nowadays breast augmentation is more common and more widely accepted. For this patient to fear being taken less seriously brings to light a possible stereotype still associated with breast implants--but what exactly is the stereotype? Is it the "bimbo" title? I think in the past, women who had breast implants were usually those that were in the "entertainment industry" and that connection was carried over to the average woman who wanted to improve their appearance. Overtime, that negative connotation has been replaced with acceptance on the larger scale.

Women can be taken seriously even though they have augmentation. One of the doctors explained it in a way that made the patient feel better about the decision. He explained that he'd known great people who were able to achieve their greatness because they were unafraid of being laughed at.