January 26, 2010

Plastic - Fantastic?


Okay, most of you who read my blog know that I'm not really one for celeb gossip - I couldn't possibly care less who's going crazy this week.  But I heard via my sister Jen about that Heidi Montag plastic surgery debacle, where she had 10 procedures done in one day.  Because I couldn't believe that anyone could be so vain (or stupid), I had to check it out for myself.  This time, the tabloids got it right.  YIKES!!

Basically, she had a bunch of stuff done to her face (brow lift, collagen injections to her cheeks and lips, redone nose job, ears pinned back, etc. etc. etc.) and a lower body liposuction and boob job.

Are you FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?!?  This girl is 23 years old - we're not talking Phyllis Diller or Joan Rivers here!!!  Word is that she's obsessed with fame, that she'll do anything for the attention, blah blah blah.  Of course, this little twit didn't have these things done because she was getting older (she couldn't - she was born 3 months after I graduated from high school!), she just didn't like how she looked.  But what about those of us over a "certain age" - or as I like to call it, 40?

Right around this time, one of my facebook friends posted as his status that he thought that plastic surgery didn't make one look younger; it just made one look like they had plastic surgery.  I "liked" the comment, because I happen to agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly.  I believe I also commented along the lines of "I have never seen a celeb who looks better because of it (the surgery)."

Well, one of his other contacts shot back at me and said, "Well, Mel, perhaps when you turn 40 you'll see things differently.  A tuck here and there isn't a bad thing sometimes."  I laughed out loud when I read this, because little did this guy know that I am, in fact, 41.  Jason, my facebook friend who wrote the initial status, told the other contact this bit of information and the conversation stopped right there.  But I had to chuckle on that one.

I've been told my many people that I look young for my age and yes, I guess I do.  I think part of it is that I just don't care.  I've never used wrinkle creams, never tried to conceal anything with make-up, and I'm a tad on the heavier side right now so whatever wrinkles I do have are probably plumped up (so go ahead, ladies -  have another piece of pie!  It cures wrinkles!).  Even when I do get wrinkles, though, I won't care.  Why should I?  It's not like I can literally turn back time with "reparations"!  Whether I look it or not, I will continue to age. 

And let's get to the real problem here - what is so wrong with getting older?  Let's put aside for a minute that tiresome double standard of aging men = distingushed vs. aging women = old bats.  Why are we all so afraid of what lies ahead?  Because we won't be attractive to the opposite sex anymore?  Because we won't be able to party as much as we'd like?  Because stuff sags after awhile?

How about the great things about getting older, and these are things I've noticed already - I've stopped caring what other people think about me; I am finally learning from my mistakes; I'm not sweating the small stuff; I don't take things like my health or my family for granted anymore.  I'm not saying these are lessons that everyone has to learn - maybe you were lucky and learned them early on - but aren't these far better things to dwell on than whether or not that cute boy at the mall will notice you, even though he's 27 and you're 45?  Do you really want to live in Cougartown?

I do wish that our culture wasn't so obsessed with how we look.  At what point will our personalities cease to be important?  Will we stop connecting with people because they don't look as good as we'd like them to?  Where does it end?

5 comments:

  1. I "like" this entire post, and heartily agree with you!!

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  2. I just saw a movie today called Surrogates and it dealth with this sort of topic. Everyone was living life through a robot version of themselves, which of course were thinner, and more attractive than their real selves. When Bruce Willis' surrogate is destroyed he is at first disoriented having to walk around in the real world with his real body. Its a great movie, check it out if you hadn't seen it already.

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  3. Jennifer & Eric - I think it's pretty scary how "important" our physical selves are becoming, which to me just shows how narcissistic we're becoming (this coming from someone who's currently writing a comment in her own blog - oh, the irony!). I'm really afraid of the effects this will have on little girls' self esteem - it's hard enough to figure out life these days without the added pressure to be physically perfect!! Get ready for an eating disorders pandemic.

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  4. So well said, Mel! There's nothing I can add except to say I fully agree. Heidi was a beautiful girl before the surgery. In fact, I actually think she looked better. This just sends a very bad message to teenage girls and women as a whole.

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  5. Stacy - can you imagine being that obsessed with how you look? I think that these girls need to stop thinking that people care, because after all is said and done, nobody does! They're mere blips on the D-list celebrity scene who'll be gone in a year (unless they die - then they'll be idolized). Wouldn't it be great if these girls picked up a book once in a while, and maybe enriched their lives?!? How shallow! GAH!!

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