I'm not kidding. Sin Tetas no hay Paraiso, ("Without Breasts There's No Paradise") is the hottest telenovela in Colombia -- ever. And that's saying something in a country that is addicted to the primetime soap operas. The last most popular show, Betty la Fea, is being re-done for American audiences this fall as Ugly Betty. I actually watched quite a bit of Betty la Fea when it was on Telemundo a few years back. I barely speak Spanish and found it captivating.

But back to the breasts. The show is apparently about a girl from a poor, crime-infested area who is flat-chested and told by her nemesis, "What matters today is having a good pair of (breasts) -- no matter if they're made of rubber, wood or stone." To make a long story short, she gets breast enlargement surgery, becomes disillusioned and commits suicide.

While the show's popularity and message have garnered some protests in Colombia, the country's obsession with plastic surgery is irrefutable. From the AP story:

Colombia's passion for implants is almost unmatched. According to the Colombian Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than half of the 450,000 operations performed last year were breast augmentations costing an average $2,000-$3,000 per procedure -- more than half a year's salary for the 58 percent of the country living below the poverty line.

The southern city of Cali boasts that it's the plastic-surgery capital of Latin America. Radio stations there have run contests in which the winner gets a free breast enhancement.

Recently, the mayor of Ibague, a city 80 miles west of Bogota, agreed to finance tummy tucks, butt lifts and other aesthetic operations for the city's secretaries and public employees. To date, more than 400 women have taken advantage of the offer.

I'm eagerly anticipating the American version of the show.