Face it Ladies, I'm Older and Have More Insurance
Renée Zellweger’s face is everywhere today, or should I say Renée Zellweger’s new face. It bothers me...a lot. Why?
Oh, let me count the ways. First, and probably foremost, with all of the bad, bad shit going on in the world today, why in the name of sanity is any media this obsessed with how a woman looks – even if that woman once starred in some films. Seriously, even talking about Ebola some more would be preferable to this manufactured horror about a woman, gasp, appearing to age because, you know, she’s gotten fu!#!$@# older.
Second, the faux shock that she may have had plastic surgery! Double gasp!!! Who the hell cares what she’s done with her face? Really? How does it affect anyone but her, the doctor who’s Land Rover she paid off and casting directors? It’s not like Hollywood, or all of Southern California for that matter, is unfamiliar with the concept of elective cosmetic procedures.
I will admit that when I saw the picture I thought, “oh, poor thing.” But I was mostly reacting to the fact that she needs some oil-absorbing powder. Man, she is shiny in those photos. Possessing oily skin myself, I am familiar with the battle to not look as if my face has been coated in industrial-grade lubricant whenever I’m photographed with a flash. But then, maybe she’s going for the dewy look? I know a couple of women who eschew powder because they feel that a naturally, um, moist complexion makes them appear younger. More power to them.
I did not, upon seeing her image, assume that she looked different because she’d had major work done, been under the knife or had various injections into her face. I mean, if anyone looked at photos of me from high school side-by-side with a recent shot, I’d probably be accused of having major work done. 20+ years, and life in general, has altered the shape of my face, the stretch of my skin and even my bone structure. Weight fluctuations have made my dimple shallower; given me deeper-set eyes and sharper cheekbones. A dedication to heavy-duty sun block and hats have mostly erased my once abundant freckles. I’ve also changed the way I apply my makeup, groom my eyebrows more (or at all), and wear my hair totally different. I’ve run into people I knew pretty well in high school who didn’t recognize me.
I’ve also been told that I look deceptively young for my age. Well, I scrub the heck out of my face regularly and slap on a mud mask now and then. I apply moisturizer with a religious sort of fervor. Yet, I have not had anything injected into my face, in spite of the fact I live in Southern California, for a few reasons – money, not gonna spend it on that; because injecting botulism into my face freaks me out; because I like being able to move my eyebrows and figure that some forehead and frown lines are an even trade off.
Why do we always assume, based on a few static photos, that a woman has had injections – either fillers or freezers? What if she just looks that way? And, again, why the everliving hell do we care??? Why do reporters consult with plastic surgeons, none of whom worked on the woman in question, to speculate about what she's "had done?" It's all voyeuristic and more than a little nauseating.
Our culture reveres youth, particularly for women, to a sort of sickening degree. In general, people get more interesting as they age, weathering challenges and experiencing life. Youth is pretty, but often shallow and dumb on the big issues because they just haven’t lived enough – I include my past self in this gross generalization, along with the past selves of everyone I’ve ever known…ever.
I look vastly different from how I looked 20 years ago – better I hope because I feel good about what I present to the world. By external, cultural measures, I probably look worse. I have lines, looser skin, scars and stretch marks that didn't grace my face or body back then. But I've gotten wiser and more comfortable in my stretched-out skin.
This youth-and-beauty-focused culture thrives on ruining the self esteem of every woman living – how else are they going to make money off of us? If you just get old and let it all hang out, well then you’re some hag who doesn’t care enough and has “let herself go.” Shocking! If you do give into the pressure to inject some fillers, or a paralyzing agent (yes, that’s what those little botulism critters do in your forehead), or have a little nip and tuck, then everyone’s going to speculate about you and judge whether you did too much, not enough or the wrong thing the wrong way. It all makes me tired, and then I have these horrible dark circles under my eyes and everybody wants to sell me a concealer to cover up those ugly bitches.
Let’s leave the poor woman alone, she looks fine - no, she looks great for a 44 year old woman. In fact, even looking as much older than her younger self as she does (I feel stupider for having written that), she probably looks better than most 44-year-olds regardless of gender. Oh, and news flash peeps, if a woman is Hollywood thin, it shows on her face…but then she’d better get some fillers to look like the preternaturally perfect Photoshop version of herself or she will be publicly shamed for the sin of looking human in public!
I’m 37 – I’ve got a few more years to catch up to Renée and who knows what I’ll look like by 44 – possibly I won’t look anything close to as good as she does because, despite all of the media shock and horror, she still looks pretty damn good. I hope she has the comfort and wisdom from those few extra years to let this crap roll off her back and give the collective media the finger (maybe Jennifer Lawrence can give her some pointers).
Meanwhile, let’s form a sisterhood of real women who allow other women to be real too. Let’s be kind to each other. Let’s be appreciative that we all get older, and the way we look changes as we do, and that’s okay. Let’s appreciate that there is something valuable and beautiful about every age and stage of a woman’s life and appearance. Let's love ourselves.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go exfoliate and moisturize.
Oh, let me count the ways. First, and probably foremost, with all of the bad, bad shit going on in the world today, why in the name of sanity is any media this obsessed with how a woman looks – even if that woman once starred in some films. Seriously, even talking about Ebola some more would be preferable to this manufactured horror about a woman, gasp, appearing to age because, you know, she’s gotten fu!#!$@# older.
Second, the faux shock that she may have had plastic surgery! Double gasp!!! Who the hell cares what she’s done with her face? Really? How does it affect anyone but her, the doctor who’s Land Rover she paid off and casting directors? It’s not like Hollywood, or all of Southern California for that matter, is unfamiliar with the concept of elective cosmetic procedures.
I will admit that when I saw the picture I thought, “oh, poor thing.” But I was mostly reacting to the fact that she needs some oil-absorbing powder. Man, she is shiny in those photos. Possessing oily skin myself, I am familiar with the battle to not look as if my face has been coated in industrial-grade lubricant whenever I’m photographed with a flash. But then, maybe she’s going for the dewy look? I know a couple of women who eschew powder because they feel that a naturally, um, moist complexion makes them appear younger. More power to them.
I did not, upon seeing her image, assume that she looked different because she’d had major work done, been under the knife or had various injections into her face. I mean, if anyone looked at photos of me from high school side-by-side with a recent shot, I’d probably be accused of having major work done. 20+ years, and life in general, has altered the shape of my face, the stretch of my skin and even my bone structure. Weight fluctuations have made my dimple shallower; given me deeper-set eyes and sharper cheekbones. A dedication to heavy-duty sun block and hats have mostly erased my once abundant freckles. I’ve also changed the way I apply my makeup, groom my eyebrows more (or at all), and wear my hair totally different. I’ve run into people I knew pretty well in high school who didn’t recognize me.
I’ve also been told that I look deceptively young for my age. Well, I scrub the heck out of my face regularly and slap on a mud mask now and then. I apply moisturizer with a religious sort of fervor. Yet, I have not had anything injected into my face, in spite of the fact I live in Southern California, for a few reasons – money, not gonna spend it on that; because injecting botulism into my face freaks me out; because I like being able to move my eyebrows and figure that some forehead and frown lines are an even trade off.
Why do we always assume, based on a few static photos, that a woman has had injections – either fillers or freezers? What if she just looks that way? And, again, why the everliving hell do we care??? Why do reporters consult with plastic surgeons, none of whom worked on the woman in question, to speculate about what she's "had done?" It's all voyeuristic and more than a little nauseating.
Our culture reveres youth, particularly for women, to a sort of sickening degree. In general, people get more interesting as they age, weathering challenges and experiencing life. Youth is pretty, but often shallow and dumb on the big issues because they just haven’t lived enough – I include my past self in this gross generalization, along with the past selves of everyone I’ve ever known…ever.
 |
| Less smooth than the girl in front...because age and it's ok |
This youth-and-beauty-focused culture thrives on ruining the self esteem of every woman living – how else are they going to make money off of us? If you just get old and let it all hang out, well then you’re some hag who doesn’t care enough and has “let herself go.” Shocking! If you do give into the pressure to inject some fillers, or a paralyzing agent (yes, that’s what those little botulism critters do in your forehead), or have a little nip and tuck, then everyone’s going to speculate about you and judge whether you did too much, not enough or the wrong thing the wrong way. It all makes me tired, and then I have these horrible dark circles under my eyes and everybody wants to sell me a concealer to cover up those ugly bitches.
Let’s leave the poor woman alone, she looks fine - no, she looks great for a 44 year old woman. In fact, even looking as much older than her younger self as she does (I feel stupider for having written that), she probably looks better than most 44-year-olds regardless of gender. Oh, and news flash peeps, if a woman is Hollywood thin, it shows on her face…but then she’d better get some fillers to look like the preternaturally perfect Photoshop version of herself or she will be publicly shamed for the sin of looking human in public!
I’m 37 – I’ve got a few more years to catch up to Renée and who knows what I’ll look like by 44 – possibly I won’t look anything close to as good as she does because, despite all of the media shock and horror, she still looks pretty damn good. I hope she has the comfort and wisdom from those few extra years to let this crap roll off her back and give the collective media the finger (maybe Jennifer Lawrence can give her some pointers).
Meanwhile, let’s form a sisterhood of real women who allow other women to be real too. Let’s be kind to each other. Let’s be appreciative that we all get older, and the way we look changes as we do, and that’s okay. Let’s appreciate that there is something valuable and beautiful about every age and stage of a woman’s life and appearance. Let's love ourselves.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go exfoliate and moisturize.
