She pretends that her ageless face is normal and attainable, as long as you use sunscreen and eat organic and live a good and healthy life. She holds her face up in some sort of moral and aesthetic triumph. And this causes ordinary women to feel morally and aesthetically failed. It makes us feel ashamed of our normal, aging faces.
I imagine there are many reasons why women, especially famous women, would lie about interventions. If you’ve been praised for being naturally beautiful, it must be humiliating to admit that you’re not so natural anymore. Being a brand ambassador for an over-the-counter face cream could affect your contract to indulge in cosmetic procedures.
Botox anyone? It’s Oscar time!Credit:Walter Peters
And fame, especially the kind of fame associated with great beauty, thrives on the idea of specialness. Superstars are chosen. They are exalted. They are different from the rest of us. If they admit to jaw-dropping or getting saggy like everyone else, they’re just not going to maintain the same mysterious appeal.
Still, fame comes with privileges, and it also comes with responsibilities, and one of those responsibilities is not to trick their fans. That doesn’t mean saying, “I get baby Botox every few months,” when they’re really getting brow lifts and lip enhancements and cheek implants.
It doesn’t mean saying “I’ve had fillers once, but I’ve had them dissolved” if they’ve had Restylane injections for the past 15 years. It means being transparent.
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There is a precedent. Jane Fonda acknowledged her facelift some time ago, and she continued to be extremely famous. Other celebrities have recognized cosmetic procedures such as nose jobs or breast augmentations or lip injections. It’s time all the famously beautiful women stop lying to us and acknowledge the cosmetic surgeries that keep them “ageless”.
Until then, I remain fascinated by their youthful faces. And I wonder what they will look like in 20 years.
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