What To Know About Breast Reduction Surgery

Question

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, breast reduction surgery has surged, growing 64% from 2019 to 2023. Here is what you need to know about the increasingly common elective procedure. Q: Who is a good candidate for breast reduction surgery?  A: Anyone whose breasts are medically designated as honkers.  Q: Why do women […]

Answer 1

Though the linked article (https://theonion.com/what-to-know-about-breast-reduction-surgery/) may appear to have some credibility because of its initial reference to an easily verifiable and reputable statistic from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (https://www.plasticsurgery.org/news/press-releases/american-society-of-plastic-surgeons-reveals-2022s-most-sought-after-procedures#:~:text=Liposuction%20(325%2C669%20procedures%2C%20up%2023,2022%2C%20the%20top%205%20were:), it doesn’t have any sort of academic value, whatsoever. 

Upon initially examining the linked article, I was confused and let down to find a very short piece with no author listed or any hyperlinks to related source material. However, after realizing the nature of the publisher of this piece, The Onion, the actual goal of this article became clear—it’s satire (https://www.loc.gov/item/lcwaN0008148/#:~:text=The%20Onion%20is%20an%20American,%2C%20national%2C%20and%20local%20news). As such, it has no academic merit, per se, but rather a humorous, highly critical and culturally charged perspective on current events; this article is a look into a satirical point of view on contemporary happenings.

It’s somewhat easy to determine the true nature of this publication because of its wildly inappropriate terminology concerning breast reduction (e.g. “Q: Who is a good candidate for breast reduction surgery? A: Anyone whose breasts are medically designated as honkers.”) However, this source could be incredibly misleading to someone who doesn’t realize its satirical intentions. While this article does trivialize the significance of breast reduction surgery with its casual language and cultural references, The Onion is simply presenting its humorous take on the issue of breast reduction in modern popular culture (e.g. “Q: What’s a well-known consequence of the surgery? A: Losing acting roles to Sydney Sweeney.”)

Comments

You tackled this pretty well, especially since the claim isn't clear (question rather than a statement).