Heidi Montag speaks out against plastic

The "plastic" Heidi Montag's got in her sights is actually credit cards, in case you were scratching your head in puzzlement at the prospect of the reality TV and tabloid fixture denouncing plastic surgery. The star of MTV's The Hills and (in)famous cosmetic surgery devotee made a spoof video for the website FunnyOrDie.com that's actually a humorous, tongue-in-cheek PSA for the creation of a Consumer Finance Protection Agency.

Although better-credentialed (albeit less, er, enhanced) personalities have called on Congress to create such an agency to oversee abuses practiced by credit card companies, Montag's entry to the conversation manages to be memorable.

Playing off of and poking fun at her widely chronicled (and photographed) plastic surgery obsession, Montag strolls through a sleek Hollywood mansion, bemoaning the fact that reality TV stars tend to blow their money on frivolous things like tiny Chihuahuas, massive handbags to carry them in, miracle cures and slacker spouses. But then she gets serious and tells viewers that paying off a credit card bill can cost many times more than the original charge (this is especially true if you're only paying the monthly minimum each billing cycle).

Montag then touches on what many of us already know: that sometimes, there's no choice but to pull out a credit card in this tough economy. Even as she's poking fun at her own nipped, tucked and Botoxed visage, she drives home the need for ordinary Americans to contact their elected officials in Washington and press for the creation of an agency that will reign in the banks and credit card companies. The video lists the top Congressmen involved in financial reform and provides phone numbers you can call to make your voice heard.

Even if you're not a fan of Montag, The Hills or gratuitous plastic surgery (or all three), the video sends up stereotypes while driving home a very worthwhile point about the need for an organization that has the protection of consumers -- not the profitability of the financial services companies -- as its top priority.