Throwing A New Curve Into Figure `Enhancement'

Lisa Rinna of "Melrose Place" wears 'em. So does Amy Pietz of "Caroline in the City."

The manufacturer calls them Curves. We call them the latest invention to feed a national obsession that won't go away.

No matter what women achieve, no matter how high they rise, nothing seems to change the fact that people still care about breast size. Not just men. Women.

Every fashion magazine - from Glamour to Cosmo to McCall's - is touting Curves, a line of flesh-colored "breast enhancers" that you tuck into your bra and suddenly you're curvaceous.

The manufacturer's spiel for these high-tech falsies made of silicone gel? You pay $129 to "grow" as much as three cup sizes larger - with no surgery, no Wonderbra . . . no Kleenex. You can dance in 'em, swim, even wear some lingerie and bustiers, the manufacturer says, adding that Curves warm to body temperature and mold to a woman's breasts so they look, feel and even bounce like the real thing.

Pardon our skepticism. And our dismay. We thought this was 1997. We thought women were beyond this.

But a million women already have breast implants, and the number keeps rising, according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons. Their latest figures from '94 are roughly 39,000, up 7,000 from '92.

Yet here we are, faced with the same age-old questions: Is bigger really better? Sexier? And why are Americans so obsessed with breasts?

Frankly, we were too taken aback by these falsies - which, by the way, look an awful lot like packaged chicken breasts - to answer those questions ourselves.

So we asked several women to try 'em on for size. (Curves, which come in small, large and extra-large) are available by mail order: 800-528-7837.)

You might be surprised at some of what they had to say:

-- Tammy Valvano, 28, married, lives in Sunrise, Fla. Occupation: bookkeeper. Usual bra size: 34B.

"They do draw attention, and I noticed eyes were on me when I was walking through places like the supermarket and a local restaurant. Wearing them made me feel more confident. I stood straighter, taller - kinda sticking them out there.

"They were comfortable, a little cold at first, but they warm to your skin.

"I did the jumping-up-and-down test, and they bounced like the real thing. I even wore them in our spa because I wanted to see if they'd fall out and float. They didn't."

-- Karina Vaysburd, 22, single, lives in Miami Beach. Occupation: magazine editor and radio reporter. Usual bra size: 36C.

"At first, the fake nipples were totally off. They looked in at each other like crossed eyes

"I don't want to sound like a male basher, but men are pigs and your chest is where they'll look. I was putting in my order at a restaurant, and a guy there says, `Your breasts look nice.' I was so shocked, I didn't say anything.

"Wearing these changed any thoughts I might ever have about getting a boob job. They made me self-conscious. After a few comments, you feel like you have to walk hunched over so people can't see."

-- Joanne Strobel, "forever 29," divorced, lives in Boca Raton, Fla. Occupation: property manager. Usual bra size: 34A.

"I wore the extra large with a tight T-shirt to work, and as I walked through the parking lot, a man yelled from his car: `Beautiful!'

"I'll bet a man came up with this idea, and, as far as I'm concerned, it's a great way to have a $5,000 boob job without the surgery - or the $5,000.

"The downside: I couldn't see my beeper anymore.

"Another thing - I'm petite and small-boned. The boobs were too long on the sides and, in a bikini top, I had to keep covering the plastic."

-- Rona Simmons, 49, married, lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Occupation: fifth-grade teacher. Usual bra size: 36C.

"People's reactions were funny. My husband loved them and was upset I had to give them back.

"I wore them when I went to my beauty salon, where a lot of the women are flat-chested. I took them off so everyone could try them on, and they loved the effect.

"A man was getting his hair cut, and he just watched, not saying a word. Finally, he asked if he could feel them. He didn't want to let them go.

"When I took them off after a hot, sweaty day, it felt like removing surgical tape."

-- Tamara Montgomery, 23, single, lives in Miami. Occupation: receptionist, studentand part-time model. Usual bra size: 34B.

"They were outstanding. No complaints. I wore them from 7 a.m., when I went to work, to 9:30 at night, when I got out of school. They felt so real I forgot I had them on.

"I liked the change because it wasn't that obvious. A couple of girls asked me, `Did you do something different?' "

-- Bessie Tomlin, 44, married, lives in Miami. Occupation: loan representative. Usual bra size: 36C.

"I went to aerobics class for an hour, and they still stayed in place. They didn't hold any odor when I took them out, and they weren't wet and sticky.

"I wore them all day at work, but they didn't itch or cause a rash. At work, no one noticed that I was bigger. They just said something about me was different. Actually, I thought my clothes fit better."

-- Veronica Johnson, 35, divorced, lives in Pembroke Pines, Fla. Occupation: aerobics instructor. Usual bra size: 36A.

"At my age and divorced, I wouldn't mind having a little help. I don't want huge breasts, but I don't want to be a 36A, either.

"One major problem: When I work out, I sweat a lot. These things were slipping and sliding and went down into my leotard. I finally had to reach in and take them out during class. The women were on the floor, cracking up.

"I wonder about dating, though. They look and feel real, but at some point, you're going to have to take them off and go from a 36C to a 36A. You'll have some explaining to do."

-- Debbie Filippi, 34, married, lives in Plantation, Fla. Occupation: aerobics instructor. Usual bra size: 34B.

"At first, my husband thought I was crazy to try these things out. Turned out, he liked how they looked in a tight shirt. We went out to dinner, and he was feeling good. He had me on his arm.

"When I wore them in class, the women noticed right away. I got these strange looks, and one woman finally came up and said, `You've got falsies on, don't you? They look good.'

"I did notice that they bounced a lot during exercise and moved from side to side. They slip out, even with an underwire bra. When I wore them with a bathing suit, it kinda pushes my boobs up. For once in my life, I had cleavage."