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While in Brazil for Sao Paulo Fashion Week, I had the strange experience of doing something that would be unthinkable in the United States: I went around asking young women about their breasts. Namely, if they were fake or not.

Let me explain: We heard a rumor that Brazilian models often had small implants dubbed “Brazilian Bs,” and that implants of this kind were pretty commonplace. Naturally, I asked around to see if this was a real thing. Again, I don’t need to explain the kind of shocked reaction I would have gotten in America–but in Brazil: NBD.

Actually, Brazilians couldn’t understand why I had been so shy to ask. And the general consensus? Most young women (who I asked in and around the tents during SPFW) said that yes, “many” or even “most” of their friends have breast implants. They agreed that, unlike in the U.S. perhaps, most women in Brazil opt for smaller, more natural-looking implants. The reason for the rise of surgeries in Brazil is no secret: The cost of breast augmentation is significantly lower than in the U.S. (sometimes as low as $1900), and patients can pay for the procedure in installments–that’s also the reason why Brazil is becoming one of the hottest spots for “medical tourism” for Americans.

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