W A R N I N G
Proceed With Caution

CLASSIFIED: The Text Files

Japanese Reveal Their Bellies
Tokyo Has Gone Bellybutton-Crazy

The latest midriff fashion trend has spurred a navel-conscientious nation to action. Teens and models alike have been flocking to plastic surgeons for navel reconstruction to attain a chic, vertical belly button. Japanese women prefer a perfectly symmetrical, narrow navel as opposed to a natural, round shape.

Sound strange? Not to Japanese culture, where children taunt "Your mother is an outie" as the ultimate insult. Phrases such as "Yeah, right, give me a break" translate to "Yeah, and I brew tea in my bellybutton." The fascination with "innies" and "outies" has been around for generations, and now it is feeding the unusual fashion craze.

While many elders sigh at the strange surgery, countless Japanese women flaunt their bare midsection and continue to bring new meaning to the term "tummy tuck."

Source: Reader's Digest By Shawna O'Day