Robot 6
Superman fan turns to surgery to become Man of Steel (well, Silicone)
Stories about people with body dysmorphic disorder who turn to excessive cosmetic surgeries to address perceived physical flaws kind of freak me out. I have to skip right past any articles that have to do with Jocelyn “the Cat Woman” Wildestein or those numerous “real-life Barbies.” Luckily, there’s rarely if ever any crossover into the world of comics — until now, that is.
RealSelf.com has caught wind of Herbert Chavez, a 35-year-old Filipino who’s gone under the knife repeatedly since 1995 to look like his hero Superman.
According to the website’s translation of this news report, the “pageant trainer” confirms he’s had chin augmentation to achieve the cleft, rhinoplasty for Christopher Reeve’s nose, silicone injections to his lips, and thigh implants. Looking at Chavez’s before and after photos, the RealSelf experts speculate he’s also had eye surgery, cheek augmentation and jaw augmentation.
Training beauty-pageant contestants must pay very, very well.
(via The Orange County Register)





44 Comments
Mike Ja
October 5, 2011 at 8:52 am
Ummm…Get out much?
Another Ian
October 5, 2011 at 9:28 am
He’s got this weird Michael Jackson thing going on that kind of creeps me out. The photo above looks like a wax figure…but the truly creepy picture is the side-by-side comparison on the RealSelf.com site.
Hopefully he is full-on committed and wears the Supes duds under his clothes.
Wesley Smith
October 5, 2011 at 10:12 am
Is it just me, or do a disproportionate number of these kinds of surgeries happen in the Philippines and Thailand? Are they getting a discount?
J.Z.
October 5, 2011 at 10:42 am
Maybe he should try going to the gym and putting on some muscle first
Matthew
October 5, 2011 at 10:45 am
Hey Psychopath!
Since you are trying so hard to look like Superman, you might want to start by lifting some weights every once in a while.
Conner
October 5, 2011 at 10:47 am
Taking it a bit too far….
Andre James
October 5, 2011 at 10:47 am
i bet he doesnt even read Supes’ comics. He looks waaaaaaaay weird.
Richard John Marcej
October 5, 2011 at 10:49 am
I’ll start to worry when someone gets surgery to look like Jonah Hex.
Shifty
October 5, 2011 at 10:58 am
The thing about this is that I don’t think Superman would’t much like the idea of someone changing their appearance so drastically to look like him. If Superman were real, he’d be telling this kid that he shouldn’t change himself but should be proud of who he is and how he really looks.
Of course considering the fact his guy makes his life training beauty pageant contestants, many of which care only about shallow and cosmetic appearances… I’m not sure this guy would listen either way.
RY33
October 5, 2011 at 10:59 am
Plastic surgeons should be run out of town on a rail.
mario
October 5, 2011 at 11:00 am
Ummmmm….the new Superman doesn’t dress like that anymore….
RY33
October 5, 2011 at 11:01 am
I can only imagine what goes one with those life size models when Mom is out of the room.
Jj
October 5, 2011 at 11:03 am
He wants to look like superman or a superman action figure? It’s very plastic looking, but whatever floats your boat takes all sorts to make a world.
Richie C.
October 5, 2011 at 11:06 am
Well hopefully he’s happy, at the end of the day. Seems like he’s piling the surgeries on though— That’s commitment ! Cleft chin? Ouch!
D.Smithee
October 5, 2011 at 11:47 am
Hey, to each his/her own.
nataniel
October 5, 2011 at 12:31 pm
This guy must be really pissed off about the reboot now!
Don
October 5, 2011 at 12:46 pm
I just wish that Superman was rebooted to look like an average everyday Filipino. In your face!!!!!! But seriously that is some creepy devotion to the Man of Steel.
El Santo
October 5, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Ermmm… if he really wants to look like Superman, I would suggest working on the upper body a bit.
Snikt snakt
October 5, 2011 at 1:14 pm
I wonder if he has a male friend dress up as Batman and they have “World’s Finest”-type adventures. This guy is one SICK freak…
Shawn
October 5, 2011 at 1:41 pm
I bet therapy is alot cheaper than all the surgeries.
Brett
October 5, 2011 at 1:44 pm
Quick, somebody write Superman being castrated into the canon!
Chris C.
October 5, 2011 at 2:26 pm
as a goof they should make Superman look like how that kid used to look. Then he’ll really feel dumb.
stu
October 5, 2011 at 2:34 pm
but he doesn’t look like Superman at all…
Andy
October 5, 2011 at 3:29 pm
Calling him a psychopath and stuff like that isn’t necessary and you should be ashamed of yourselves if you do. He’s clearly sick and has mental illnesses, that doesn’t make him a psycho, though. He really needs a good therapist and to be put on some meds.
Makenzie
October 5, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Thanks for the shout-out to RealSelf! We were lucky to have someone here who understands Tagalog translate the report for us.
This guy definitely made a few jaws drop in our office — which is hard to do in a place that looks at plastic surgery pictures all day. Have to say I keep wondering why he hasn’t gotten pec implants! Must be next on the list…
Gil
October 5, 2011 at 5:47 pm
WOW!!!
Dan Koller
October 5, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Don, thanks for the genuine LOL.
Edwin S.
October 5, 2011 at 8:02 pm
Since when is Superman a woman?!!?
Carl
October 5, 2011 at 8:23 pm
I’m from the Philippines. This guy freaks me out
Jeff Frost
October 5, 2011 at 9:27 pm
The truth of the matter is that the folks who have these surgeries to look like Superman, Barbie, or any other fictional character are suffering from transmorphic disorder. It’s mental illness. Just like Michael Jackson, they hate themselves on such an ingrained level that they will willingly mutilate themselves to the point of absurdity. It’s sad, and it’s rather creepy.
On the flipside of that coin, there are those who are egocentric to the extreme. Liberace actually paid for his male companion to have plastic surgery that made the man appear to be Liberace himself! Way creepy.
Frank
October 5, 2011 at 9:29 pm
it’s embarassing when the guy looks smaller than any Superboy inexistance. It would be cool if the guy would have been a big man. He should have change to Peter Parker instead.
R3D
October 5, 2011 at 9:59 pm
He actually has the balls to do this
Scott
October 6, 2011 at 5:45 am
I see nothing wrong or extreme about this this – he’s just trying to honour his hero by looking more like him. I myself am a great fan of the Fantastic Four and am seriously considering having myself surgically altered to look more like ‘Willie Lumpkin’, the FF’s postman… I’ve already got the wiggly ear thing going for me…
Gay-Black-Belt
October 6, 2011 at 5:51 am
Wrong, anyone con be a like superman, but you don`t need this crazy stuff, just lift some weights , learn to fight, and patrol the streets , and while at it, give food to the homeless and help searching for missing kids, etc,etc all the time wearing a Superman t-shirt with jeans, like Morrison`s and Morales`s Superman.
JoeMomma
October 6, 2011 at 7:03 am
I kinda look like Marvel’s Hercules. Minus the muscles. I’m just kinda furry and wear loincloths. Makes my job as an IT manager interesting.
the Prowler
October 6, 2011 at 7:36 am
Even if it is a bit…obsessive, I really don’t see the harm in this, nor the need for name-calling or casting aspersions on his mental health. It’s not like the guy is hurting anyone by doing this, right?
Chris P. Bacon
October 6, 2011 at 8:31 am
But he doesn’t look like Superman. He looks like Brandon Routh.
Adam Walker
October 6, 2011 at 9:39 am
And there I was, thinking the whole world was suffering from a bad economy.
Saint Saucey
October 6, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Thats nothing. I’m saving up my money to get plastic surgery to look like the thing.
cc
October 7, 2011 at 6:38 am
Trying to look white= Fail. Ugly.
Shaun
October 8, 2011 at 7:39 am
I’m not sure what’s more disturbing… His unhealthy obsession with mutilating himself, or his apparent obsession with the Brandon Routh/Superman Returns Superman.
Either way, the guy needs serious help. And better taste.
Brammage
October 10, 2011 at 7:00 am
Superman is rolling in his grave
NosnamSelrahc
October 10, 2011 at 8:02 am
Wow…kinda sad….this guy needs his own Lois Lane….on a side note….what is Superman’s biggest weakness??? A bucking horse….
Clark-Can't
October 19, 2011 at 4:05 pm
I wonder what he’s going to be for Halloween this year…