Boom and Bust of Today's Teen Culture.

JENNA Franklin wanted a birthday present. She asked her parents. They said OK.

Jenna was about to turn 16.

She wanted new breasts.

"You've got to have breasts to be successful," she told a British tabloid.

Her mother, who already had breast enlargement, liposuction, a nose job and a cheek job, agreed.

"There are so many young girls who are depressed about the way they look," she said, "if you can do something about it, that's great."

So, like car owners dragging the family vehicle in for repairs, Jenna's parents took her to a plastic surgeon. Fix 'er up, doc.

Fortunately the doctor said no.

"She wasn't ready," Dr. Anthony Erian told me last week. "At 16, girls are not prepared physically or emotionally for breast surgery. For one thing, in many cases, they're not even done developing.

"But I will say I see it more and more, teen-agers seeking cosmetic surgery. And there are doctors who will do it," Erian added. "It seems that we've picked up something from you American chaps."

Great. Nothing like exporting our best products.

Now, the notion of a 16-year-old seeking a breast job may strike you as grotesque. And Jenna's sad declaration that "you've got to have breasts to be successful" may inspire the paternal part of you to respond, "Oh, no, sweetheart; it's what's inside that truly counts."

But consider the world viewed through the eyes of a 16-year-old girl today. She sees her pop singers -- like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Destiny's Child -- writhing around on the screen, skin-tight outfits and pushed-up bosoms. And they're successful.

She sees TV shows in which the "good looking" characters are distinguishable from the "ugly" characters" by their cleavage.

She sees ads for Wonder Bras that make your breasts seem bigger. She sees clothes designed with plunging necklines. She sees female TV sportscasters wearing tank tops to interview football players.

And there's not a flat-chested one in the bunch.

Now. You tell me. Does the sentence "You need breasts to be successful" sound like ego or observation?

I was on a plane last week. They showed a movie. I didn't listen to it, but I watched it on the screen. Every time I saw a woman, she was in something low-cut. I swear there were 15 actresses in this movie, and the camera was aimed chest-high at every one.