Sarah Burge is quite used to being condemned. The British mom calls herself the "Human Barbie," boasting that she has spent more than $800,000 on plastic surgery to transform herself into a real-life version of the absurdly proportioned, eternally youthful doll. She promotes nips and tucks in ways that even plastic surgeons disparage as "insane." But what's really stoked Burge's notoriety are her efforts to encourage her daughters to follow in her plastic footsteps. Here, five dubious moves that have other parents calling Burge the "worst mother of all time":
1. She promotes kids parties at Botox clinics
"What do you get a little girl who has everything?" asks Meredith Carroll at Babble. "Why, a birthday party at a Botox clinic, of course." Burge's latest attempt to grab the spotlight is a foray into the party planning business targeting girls from 7 to 13. The kids won't actually be receiving Botox injections — "Sorry girls! Maybe next year!" — but they'll be able to get spray tans and hair extensions. Burge says her parties offer girls the "wow factor" they crave. "Ick factor" is more like it.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
2. She gave her 7-year-old a liposuction voucher...
Burge's notion of an appropriate Christmas gift for her 7-year-old daughter, Poppy, is a bit "nontraditional," says Ileana Llorens at The Huffington Post. Last Christmas, Burge gave Poppy a voucher, worth about $11,000, so she can get liposuction when she gets older. The news sparked outrage from parents, but Burge said she was confident Poppy would put the voucher to good use. "She asks for surgery all the time," Burge said. "She wants to look good and liposuction is one of those procedures that will always come in handy."
3. ...And a boob job voucher
Burge gave Poppy her first plastic surgery voucher — for a future breast augmentation — for her 7th birthday last summer and the birthday girl "squealed with delight," the proud mom said. Poppy can't use the certificate, worth about $9,500, until she turns 16, but she said she was thrilled. "It was a dream come true," Poppy said. "I can't wait to be like mummy with big boobs."
4. She taught her daughter to pole dance
Critics have also slammed the Human Barbie for encouraging her young daughter to master pole dancing. "It's usually fat, ugly women who feel intimidated by me and criticize me for pole dancing with Poppy," Burge said. "Women will only get annoyed because they are jealous of my life and my great relationship with my daughter."
5. She injected her teen with Botox
Two years ago, Burge made headlines when she injected her then-15-year-old daughter, Hannah, with Botox, reportedly making her the youngest person on record to undergo the procedure. Hannah, she said, didn't want to look haggard once she reached her 20s. "I'm not saying she has wrinkles now," Burge said, "but if we can prevent them in the future, what's the problem?"
Sources: Babble, Belfast Telegraph, Daily Mail, Globally, Huffington Post, Metro UK, Sify
