Over the years, we've heard plenty of stories about cosmetic surgery procedures gone horribly wrong. They range from people being left scarred or disfigured to death. Sadly, the story of Tamara Blaine falls into the latter category. After what she must have surely thought would be a routine butt lift, she died, leaving behind a young child. But the details of what happened to her and where are more horrifying than most. Now the woman who performed the butt lift has been charged with manslaughter.
Self-described cosmetologist Tamira Mobley performed it at a hotel called Liberty Inn in New York City last summer. A far cry from the sterile and pristine surroundings of a doctor's office, this was the kind of place that allows customers to pay by the hour.
During the procedure, something went terribly wrong and Mobley called the front desk asking them to call 911. When police arrived, Blaine was suffering a seizure. According to the medical examiner, Blaine died from "systemic silicone emboly due to a cosmetic silicone injection in the buttocks."
So sad. It's the kind of tragedy that leaves us shaking our heads -- not so much in disbelief but because it was fueled by a need to be prettier, more perfect, better than what she thought she was. "She liked to look good," said a friend. "She liked to look nice. She always switched up her style."
We have all been guilty of trying some ridiculous fad or beauty treatment at some point in our lives. And it's certainly natural to want to look and feel beautiful -- but it's horrifying how far we are sometimes willing to go. This poor woman thought she was going to a trustworthy individual that would leave her looking better than ever. She was hoodwinked, of course. I know a lot of people will think that anyone who goes to a motel for a butt lift must be out of their mind, but that's not necessarily the case. Sure, it would have scared me off, but lots of people have procedures in their homes and other non-professional locales. It may not be the safest choice, but one a lot of women opt for to save a few bucks.
Unfortunately, this story, and the many others like it, just goes to show the dangerous lengths some of us will go to for that ideal body. Now many lives have been ruined by this botched butt lift -- Blaine, the child that will grow up without his mom, and Mobley (if she's convicted).
Have you ever had a cosmetic procedure at home? Would you?
Image via Steven Depolo/Flickr