Bankruptcy or new breasts? The 36DD deficit

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The economy may be collapsing like an undercooked souffle, but Americans aren’t about to take it on the double chin. Rather, people keep spending money on plastic surgery -- the amount of cosmetic procedures performed in 2007 jumped 7% from 2006. That means that while 405,000 households foreclosed on their mortgages last year according to Money magazine, 12 million people had thier tummies tucked or their breasts done, per the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. (Breast augmentation was up 6% for 2007, while nose jobs dropped 7%.) Even more telling: facelifts increased 16% for men, while the amount for women jumped 14%. Pectoral implants for guys are up by 8 percent too.

So what have we learned? Our collective bosom is growing alongside our national debt. Call it a 36DD deficit. And men are just as vain as women.