Sometimes you think you are heading in one direction. You plan, plot, and dream of how the subject you've thought about will become a finished article. And before you realize what has happened, the finished article is about something else entirely. Or in this case, it is about someone other than the originally intended subject. Recent conversations with a leading men's magazine's editor have alerted me to the fact that large-breasted models are a commodity that is becoming harder and harder to find. There's no lack of ample bosoms, only a lack of the amply-bosomed willing to go on display.

Friends have asked me what's doing with certain video producers known world wide for their long history of selling specialized videos featuring women with the biggest breasts. This company has not been able to put out the same steady stream of content as they had in past years. Are men's tastes a-changing with the times? Have the influential feminists' perspectives become pervasive? Or is it just a matter of fitting into clothing and feeling comfortable? Is it just a matter of wanting to go shopping without being gawked at? Or maybe it's time to do something with one's life besides dancing naked in a smoky club downtown, posing for photographers, or being the subject of a video.

Yes, in this issue of BEHAVIOR, we will touch on the topic of Breast Reduction. The new NBC hit series Providence presented this topic as a segment of its most recent Friday night episode. A young 'exotic dancer', portrayed by newcomer Nikita Ager, visited Dr. Sydney Hanson's clinic. She claimed back pains, and she was clearly dissatisfied with her life-style. An x-ray revealed spinal disc problems as well. Dr. Hanson, who is the lovely Melina Kanakaredes in real-life, examines the woman and offers to do the reduction surgery 'gratis'. Actually it is a quid pro quo, as the surgery will enable Dr. Hanson to get a 'way' into the surgical circles at the local Hospital.

We later hear that Chelsea, the dancer, has a lowlife possessive boyfriend who beats her up. We see her bright and lovely apartment. It is a far cry from the somewhat seedy Providence strip club where she works. We are gently guided toward the thought that big breasts are a curse, a burden, and a means of entry into a dismal world. So everyone wants her to have the surgery, even us hardened veteran fans of the large-cupped brassiere fillers. But it isn't to be. The low-life shoots her, in the chest. So instead of an elective cosmetic surgery which may alleviate a serious back problem; we witness life-saving procedures. The breast reduction does not happen.

What happened was this. Television hyped the event. The thought of a big-breasted stripper on a prime-time network dramatic series was electric. Yes, we were treated to a few fleeting glimpses of Ms. Ager's impressive clothed measurements. At the end of the show, were are left with the thoughts that the motives of Dr. Hanson were noble, that the desired reduction would be a life-affirming step for Chelsea, and that the life of an exotic dancer is fraught with pain, disappointment, and danger.

Not fair! Isn't it possible for women to be cherished, and loved, and idolized for their appearance as part of an overall emotional involvement? Haven't women made a career of modeling and marriage. So why does Providence paint us into such a corner? Good question. Maybe an act of divine providence will show us the answer, but maybe not. That's television for you. There will be more on this topic in an upcoming issue. As the caballeros here in Barcelona say, Mai Pehn Rai!