Palaver

A Filipino designer, Herbert Chavez, has taken his love for Superman too far. For more than a decade, the 35-year-old Chavez has undergone a series of procedures that have made his nose higher and slimmed down his thighs. He has had surgery on his cheeks, lips and chin, and injections to whiten his skin.

"Superman is my idol. I want to look like him." Once a typical-looking Filipino, Chavez now has the firm-jawed face of mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent, his idol’s nerdier incarnation. He is planning an operation that will give him a more muscular abdomen and is looking at specialized surgery in Japan that will insert metal in his legs to make him taller.