‘Top Surgery‘ T-Shirt - raising money for a well-known charity

[Haveastock]

Just came across this whilst on Instagram (a young transman namechecked their surgeon and I followed the link)

These T-shirts are produced by the clinic of a popular ‘top-surgery’ surgeon. I found it pretty depressing to look at but I’m sure it’s an interesting site if you’re shopping around for someone to perform this surgery.

Anyway, I thought the T-shirt was a bit cynical - earning Yet more money for the surgeon who appears to be in high demand. 25% of profits to Mermaids. Nice little link up there. Even one of his own clients expressed their disapproval of him seeking further profit from his patients.

Am I alone in finding this a bit distasteful?

[gardenbird48]

when I mentioned this to my daughter as part of a discussion (also mentioning to her because a girl we both know is currently fund raising for her 'top surgery'), her response was 'well, if she changes her mind, she can get implants'.... obviously it is nothing like that simple and I feel terrible for those who have had to have it done but that is the perception of someone who has never had a serious health issue - it's hard to imagine not feeling well.
I remember the feeling of invincible youth until I learnt a sharp lesson in my early 20s after a nearly fatal dose of meningitis (once I was conscious enough to realise what had happened) - it took months to recover and was a huge shock to not be healthy. Sadly I think some of these girls may also have a shock.

[weebarra]

Oh god, the drains and I had a muckle big seroma too!
Yes, unfortunately you don’t end up with chiseled pecs, wouldn’t have minded that.

[Vermeil]

@weebarra Yeah? Well, it’s better than the alternative, eh? Glad to hear you’re all good after six years, considering. 😊
I do wonder if all the teen girls who go through ‘top surgery’ really have a firm grip on just how major a procedure it is. I can just imagine how fetishised it is on tumblr and the like. The drain bags you have walk around with and monitor, the risk of fluid buildup that has to be drained with a big syringe, the infection risk, the nerve damage, the fact that if you decide later on that your not happy and want boobs back it’s at least two more bouts of major surgery with more drains, more infection risk, and often unsatisfactory end results. You can’t predict how you’ll scar, either. It’s certainly not instant man chest, it’s chopped about woman chest.

[weebarra]

Me too @vermeil - 6 years down the line. Healthy, but still no feeling in armpits or backs of arms!

[weebarra]

Me too @vermeil - 6 years down the line. Healthy, but still no feeling in armpits or backs of arms!

[RealityBased]

Okay, nowhere near even similar in terms of impact - but I still wouldn't post this online were this not a regularly NC'd, not tied to my personal accounts online presence:

I had cosmetic surgery at age 15. Nothing "major": I just had ears that protruded sufficiently for several doctors and therapists to agree that it may be psychologically harmful for an otherwise pretty teen girl to go on living with them.

This is in no way shape or form the same or even similar to severe gender dysphoria - and I would never claim it is. However, I did very much feel utterly self-conscious about my ears to the extent that I would choose my hairstyles based on the question "is it puffy enough to disguise the Dumbo situation, though?"

Here's the thing: apart from the fact that, at this very moment, I'm posting this anonymously on the internet, only three people have ever known about this: my mother and father (because I was a minor) and my surgeon (well, and, presumably, the people assisting him in the OR and the nurses ... it's not as though surgery is a one-man-show).

20 years after the fact, I still feel somewhat, ... well ... ashamed of the body I was born with and what I had done to fix the way I look. It wouldn't occur to me in my wildest dreams to leave the house with any sort of head covering that suggested I had my ears pinned back.

And: I'm a happy patient! Unlike many plastic surgery patients, I never had regrets or desired a more perfect self and hence more surgery. I just really needed my ears to look, well, normal. I'm forever thankful to that surgeon for being able to sport a pony tail without feeling forever conscious.

But, still, I just wouldn't advertise that I had my ears done!

So, I'm sort of wondering where this sentiment comes from. This 'hey, look at me, I'm advertising the fact that I had work done to fix something that bothered me so much that I'd go under the knife to fix it'.

I don't get it!

Again, nothing like major issues, but: I'm just personally grateful my cosmetic surgery has allowed me to mostly just forget about how awkward a part of my natural self used to look.

[MushyPeasAreTheDevilsFood]

I had to unfollow JJ. I thought if she bent Over backwards any further For elements of the women-hating-trans community, she would snap.

[Vermeil]

@NeurotrashWarrior

There was a discussion on twitter about the wider effects of mastectomies on trans men. It seems there can be damage to nerves and lymph glands that cause swelling in the arms etc. It is well known for cancer mastectomies but apparently occurs for those done for aesthetic purposes too.

There's also a significant death rate and complication rate after phalloplasty. Not to mention the issues of blockers.

It seems that a repeated lie is that surgery and transition is the step to a greater joy; zero mention of the issues and risks.

Glamourised harm. Profits. Fetish.

I had a double mastectomy at the end of April, as I was diagnosed with cancer late last year and was then found to have the BRCA1 mutation.
I currently have no sensation under my arms or down the sides of my chest because it cuts through the nerve each side.

[Thinkingabout1t]

Crossposted. Thanks for that, HaveaStock. The Daily Mail doesn't seem to know much about the issues, but at least it takes a sane outlook.

[highame]

Glad he's been brought to account and is no longer selling the T-shirts. And the offending post has been removed from Instagram.

I would guess the swift withdrawal was the idea of a report to the RCS etc. That sort of sunlight if very damaging for Surgeons. Wooppee

[Thinkingabout1t]

I can't see how it can be legal for a doctor to do this. At least they should be reported to the Royal College of Surgeons, or the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons -- these must have standards?

[HaveaStock]

I see that this has been picked up by the Daily Mail
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8517287/Outrage-cosmetic-surgery-company-sells-T-shirts-scars.html

Good. No mention that the surgeon decided that Mermaids would be the recipient of proceeds from the sale of the shirts. Glad he's been brought to account and is no longer selling the T-shirts. And the offending post has been removed from Instagram. Wish I'd screen-shotted the comment by a disgruntled 'client' who had obviously had a bad experience there and accused the surgeon of 'bodyshaming' them.

More daylight...

[NeurotrashWarrior]

There was a discussion on twitter about the wider effects of mastectomies on trans men. It seems there can be damage to nerves and lymph glands that cause swelling in the arms etc. It is well known for cancer mastectomies but apparently occurs for those done for aesthetic purposes too.

There's also a significant death rate and complication rate after phalloplasty. Not to mention the issues of blockers.

It seems that a repeated lie is that surgery and transition is the step to a greater joy; zero mention of the issues and risks.

Glamourised harm. Profits. Fetish.

[Haveastock]

Weebarra sorry to hear you’ve gone through that. Showing my total ignorance as I never knew these t-shirts existed in any other context. Thanks for explaining this to me.

I imagine these t-shirts are worn with pride, in solidarity with other cancer survivors and as a bit of a ‘fuck you’ to cancer?

I can’t imagine how women who have had to have a mastectomy for breast cancer treatment/prevention feel about people voluntarily having breast removal for this other reason. And often before they’re out their teens. I appreciate that there are those who suffer severe gender dysphoria for whom this operation is deemed necessary. But seeing photo after photo of these young female bodies - knowing that there’s been a 4000+% increase in referrals of young women to GIDS, just makes my heart break at what they’re doing to themselves or what surgeons are doing to them (and then displaying on Instagram)

Hope you’re feeling well now weebarra.

[Mrskeats]

Yep zana it sounds much nicer doesn't it?
Plastic surgeons (esp in America) getting very rich on the back of this.

[zanahoria]

So much hype about top surgery but they won't even use the words double mastectomy

[HMSSophie]

Oh my god.

[weebarra]

Slightly different message though!

[weebarra]

I wouldn't wear one, but I've had a double mastectomy and women in some of my groups wear them as a way of feeling proud of their scars.

[fascinated]

Easy to do:

www.asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint.html

Strength in numbers (of complaints).

[fascinated]

@NearlyGranny

Once seen, never unseen...😳

That makes me feel sick. I am really, really shocked.

Isn’t there a professional organisation one can complain to? Hi

[lady69]

This T shirt will age like milk.

[Mrskeats]

I feel sick looking at that.
We are dealing with this in my family.

[Haveastock]

As those procedures are currently only done on 18 year olds and over he’s technically not advertising to under 18s but you just KNOW that dysphoric young girls well under the age of 18 will be looking at his Insta and pouring over the before and after photos.

[gardenbird48]

I’ve had a quick look and the Advertising Standards Authority has some fairly strict rules on various types of advertising- I think this would be worth reporting esp as there is likely to be an under 18 audience - there must be some rule about promoting this stuff!