Not afraid to tackle the tough issues.

(ABC News) — Forget oil. There is no commodity more valued in Venezuela than feminine beauty. The country holds six Miss Universe titles and five Miss World titles — a total of 11 titles compared to America’s 10.

In some countries, if a woman shows too much skin, it is considered scandalous — even punishable by death — but in Venezuela, breast implants are to be flaunted, not just among beauty contestants, but also by the working class folks who admire them.

This kind of public attitude towards breast implants explains the resulting shock when Venezuela’s fatigue-wearing, socialist President Hugo Chavez made an out-of-the-blue address on state-run television earlier this year, venomously criticizing doctors who rake in cash from performing breast augmentations. Chavez claimed these doctors “convince some women that if they don’t have some big bosoms they should feel bad.”

The self-proclaimed feminist president also criticized poor women who pay for these costly breast implant procedures that they couldn’t afford, calling it “a monstrous thing.”