We’re so used to seeing our favorite actors and actresses after work that it’s a “shock” to see their real, aged faces.
Aging is difficult. Understood.
When you are young, it is almost impossible to imagine that what happened to your parents and grandparents will someday happen to you.
Now that I’m approaching 40 and 50, I sometimes look in the mirror and wonder who’s looking back at me.
Where did the time go? Apparently in my face.
With Botox and fillers everywhere (not to mention plastic surgery) and celebrities and politicians clearly getting involved, I sympathize with the urge to get involved. Do you have those annoying wrinkles around your eyes or forehead? There is a possibility that it will disappear!
But so far I’ve resisted doing anything like that. And I think there’s a good case to make aging normal again.
The Trump administration and the “face of Mar-a-Lago”
Given the legacy media’s disdain for everything President Donald Trump touches, I initially rolled my eyes when I saw a headline about the “face of Mar-a-Lago,” a particular aesthetic adopted by many around President Trump.
A dermatologist described the look to USA TODAY as “characterized by plump lips, high cheekbones, bright white teeth, a strong jawline, and minimal facial movement with well-defined eyebrows.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem is often cited as a symbol of this style. Some plastic surgeons are also reportedly receiving requests for similar modifications.
Now, acting like this look is something only MAGA believers want is very disingenuous. The Hollywood left is constantly changing its shape. More on that later. And there’s no question that Democrats are just as committed to Botox treatments as Republicans.
Although the media scrutiny of President Trump’s affiliates has been very one-sided, I couldn’t help but agree with some of the criticism.
Take Noem, for example. Even at 54 years old, she is still a very attractive woman. However, she has clearly put in a lot of effort to change her appearance.
I think she looked better when she was the governor of South Dakota, before she turned into a Border Patrol Barbie doll.
Outside the White House, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ new wife Lauren Sanchez, 56, has undergone an even more surprising transformation. Unfortunately, there are some things that money cannot buy.
Celebs like Claire Danes and Kate Winslet embrace aging
Return to Hollywood.
We’re so used to seeing our favorite actors and actresses after work that it’s a “shock” to see their real, aged faces.
Last fall, the internet was buzzing about Claire Danes and her amazing performance in Netflix’s The Beast In Me.
However, much of the conversation was not focused on her acting skills.
It was on her face.
A 46-year-old Danish guy like me has a very expressive face and lines from having lived on this earth for over 40 years.
Apparently some viewers were taken aback by this.
To Dane’s credit, she’s embracing aging the old-fashioned way. The same goes for Kate Winslet, who turned 50 and spoke about the pressure women in Hollywood are under to maintain appearances and turn back the clock.
“To look like a normal person, to have a moving face, to have wrinkles that I hope my 50 years have shown me…that’s very important, because I want to lead by example,” Winslet recently told Evie magazine. “I want young women to look at my body and look at my face and think, “Oh, this is normal.”
Now, Danes and Winslet are both beautiful women. they are movie stars. And I think they try hard to stay healthy and have strict skin care routines.
I’ll try it too. But as deflated as the wrinkles on my face are, they are also a map of my life, my joys and my sorrows. I worked hard for them.
Aging is normal and no one can go against time. Stop pretending you can do it.
Ingrid Jack is a columnist for USA TODAY. Contact ijacques@usatoday.com or X:@.Ingrid Jacks
