Australian Magazine Under Fire for Promoting Plastic Surgery Lottery

All hell broke loose when Australia's Zoo Weekly for men offered readers the chance to win a boob job for their girlfriend ("we can help turn your lady's itty bitty titties into massive mounds of magnificence," the lad mag crowed). Surprisingly, it wasn't the readers' girlfriends who led the attack.

According to CNN.com, the lad mag has come under investigation because Australia's Lotteries laws prohibit the awarding of cosmetic surgery prizes-which means the Down Under mag could be going...down under.

"We have asked the state charities office to investigate if there's a breach," a spokesman for New South Wales Gaming and Racing Prime Minister Graham West told Reuters.

What's more, Australian Society of Plastic Surgeons President Howard Webster told The Sydney Morning Herald that the contest "breached a number of trade practices and ethical guidelines" and that any plastic surgeon performing cosmetic procedures as part of the competition might face some serious consequences.

"Has a doctor agreed to do this and take part in a lottery procedure? If that were the case and that person is identified, then the medical board in that state would be most interested in that," Dr Webster said. "Obviously as a publicity stunt it's great, it gets them lots of press, that's terrific. But it's really not something we'd encourage. It's just unwise, it's bad for people."

In his defense, Zoo editor Paul Merrill has argued that the competition, despite its clever copy, simply awards money (the equivalent of $8,400 U.S.) and not a plastic surgeon wrapped in a bow.

"The winner will get a cheque for $10,000," Merrill argued. "If they choose to spend it on surgery they can. We've checked out all the legals. It's not breaking any rules."

Maybe these blokes need to read our article on plastic surgery gift certificates?