Cross-Posted from BlogHer- Extreme Makeover, The Sun-Maid Raisin Girl Edition

This post I wrote for BlogHer ran earlier in the week. Enjoy!

How she sneaked into the plastic surgeon's office avoiding the paparazzi is any one's guess, but recently the Sun-Maid Raisin girl let her guard down -- she was caught on video as she cavorted among the grape vines somewhere near Fresno. Lo and behold, we come to discover this isn't the first time she's had some work done. From what I've been able to track down on the Interwebs, this girl first consulted with either a stylist or surgeon in 1923, then in 1956, and again sometime in 1970.

Enter 2009, the information age, where even an illustrated corporate logo can't escape the watchful eye of, well, everyone.

And when The People saw the new look on the old girl? They responded. Folks want to know what up with that? Or in this case, those. The folks over at Jezebel have called out what they believe to be an obvious breast augmentation:

The Sun-Maid has had yet another makeover. And apparently some implants. And a cleanse. Lorraine Collett-Petersen would hardly recognize herself.

Quite possibly the Sun-Maid Girl hasn't changed at all on the inside, maintaining her innocence, being demure. We just can't see it on the outside. Anyone remember Jessica in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? She's not bad, she's just drawn that way.

All celebrities have an image to cultivate and protect. Fairly simple if you are a human being, but woe is the celeb who is an artistic rendering. Cindy at Guanabee isn't allowing herself to be distracted by the new tah-tahs -- instead, she takes the maid's new "sim" look to task;

Critics are up in arms about her new, CGI look. Personally, we find CGI cold and impersonal–the exact opposite of the original, warm, Sun-Maid Raisin girl logo.

Not only would I agree the new look is "cold and impersonal," but did you notice the size of her hands? They are huge! Maybe her hands are large so she is better equipped to perform her monthly breast self-exam. Added kudos to the animators for now making hand size an indication of a woman's breast size. After all, large hands on men have been used to estimate penis size for years. It's high time men got a shot at figuring out what women are hiding under our peasant blouses.

Certainly in the 1970's the Sun-Maid Girl could have proudly sported an IBTC iron-on tee shirt in disco-inspired glitter writing. In the years following the death of disco it's obvious she resigned and is no longer a member in good standing of the Itty Bitty Titty Committee. In fact, the Sun-Maid Girl left her sisters in the dust.

The resulting reaction is mixed in 2009. Bored in Vernal admits her own vexation:

You all know I'm a live-and-let-live kind of person, so I surprise myself sometimes with my visceral reaction against breast implants, liposuction, facelifts, and other types of elective surgery. It's not only that I don't think they're safe, or that their cost could feed a small village for a year, or even the standard feminist argument against them. There might be a teeny bit of "you-didn't-earn-that-body-by-slaving-away-in-a-hot-gym" to it all.

Let's get real even if the boobs look fake. Who amongst us hasn't seen an attractive gal and heard the echo of "Bitch!" inside our own head? Even the most open minded and non-judgmental can hear that voice from time to time. It sneaks into our head despite all of our efforts to think positive thoughts like "She's got great bone structure and a Harvard education. You go girl!" We need not dwell in the land of negativity, look toward the light. Our very own BlogHer Contributing Editor Mel from Stirrup Queens put this out there for consideration:

I thought her boobs were glowing... Glowing boobs not only say to every person you pass "look at these!" but they can also double as a flashlight if you lose power.

Excellent point! After all, breasts have long been dubbed "headlights." Certainly glowing breasts could be quite useful if you can't find your car keys in an unlit parking garage or when you are out jogging after sunset.

And yes, that is the plan for little miss Sun-Maid. She's going to be doing things we "normal" women do. According to the Sun-Maid website, the icon will demonstrate her everywomanliness;

doing yoga along the beach, walking her way to lasting fitness and sharing healthy recipes and mini meals.

She may be doing more than just sitting pretty on a box, but she's still not giving up her day job as a corporate logo.

Although I'm not convinced using melons to sell raisins is the most logical of marketing decisions.