Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Aging is Not the Devil

I know I harp on this a lot... but enough already!

Is anyone else tired of seeing/reading articles like this one: "Can You Believe She's 50?" on MSN.com?

To some degree, the 15 women who are highlighted take good care of themselves and have good genes. To a higher degree, however, most of them are extremely wealthy, can afford personal trainers and chefs, and... of course... botox and plastic surgery.

You know those asterisks that are placed next to world records or undefeated seasons in sports where there are some extenuating circumstances? Yeah. I want an asterisk next to the names of those women who botox their foreheads as tight as those on 6 year old children.

Am I jealous of them? No. I could afford botox if I wanted, and. I. Do. Not. Want.

Yes, I will complain about my saggy jaw, droopy eyelids, and gravity's effects on my aging body. BUT, I am almost 40 years old. I have earned every single wrinkle I have, and I want to show the world what it's like to really live. That doesn't include injecting past-its-expiration-date-mayonnaise into my skin.

My biggest concern is the statement this type of attention on 'maintaining youth' sends to our young women. We don't need a world full of Jocelyn Wildensteins in the next 50 years.

No thanks. I'll pass. I hope my daughters have a positive sense of self and can say the same thing.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the flower at the top of your blog.

And I agree. All it takes to look beautiful is money. Anyone can be beautiful... with enough money.

M.Amanda said...

I think they've gone too far with the whole thing. I keep seeing the Jared jewelry ad where the woman keeps texting her friends throughout her date. By all accounts the one friend is young and attractive, yet it looks like her upper lip could keep a family of Cubans afloat all the way to Miami. It's just wrong.

don't call me MA'AM said...

jen: thanks! It was on my kitchen table. Note- those flowers get really stinky when they start to wither.

So, what you're saying is that we should be proud that we are beautiful without all the money that those women have? I can live with that!

sparkling: I HATE that ad. I will never shop at Jared, and will never let the FarmBoy shop there, either... because I hate those ads soooo much. OH, and btw, if you're texting your friends during your marriage proposal dinner, you're a loser who doesn't deserve a ring. Just saying! ;-)

stinkypaw said...

There's no beauty in all looking the same and being expressionless... it's sad. I'm with you on showing that I've been living and laughing often, so I don't care about the few lines... and like an aunt told me: "The secret for a no wrinkles face is to be plump" - and she knows what she's talking about! ;-)