Time Marches On: Except in the Field of Cosmetic Surgery

[scotrace]

I wonder why it is so very obvious when an actor has had "work done" these days? The Red Carpet at the Oscars last night was populated with formerly beautiful faces now wrecked by bad surgery.

I understand that their profession demands youth and beauty. But does it? Surely not like this. Sandra Bullock... oh, honey. Why? What did they fix when they removed the pretty?

Emma Thompson. Yes. PLEASE. Let me take Emma Thompson home with me. So stunningly beautiful and fascinatingly sexy. And her face appears to be her.

What happened? Certainly Joan Crawford, Betty Davis, etc., had face lifts. But I don't remember ever seeing them and thinking "who did that? Vincent Price?"

Is it that they overdo it? Or that they can't recognize the tipping point? Skin at 40 doesn't mend so nicely and heal as well as skin at 20. Is that it? Or is it really that cosmetic surgery as a field has forgotten how to do what they do?

Creams and moisturizers, yes (I have a battery of the stuff that Warren Beatty would envy). Good health choices, yes. Staying in shape, yes. Going under the knife to remove the things that audiences have bought tickets to see, like character, personality, mobility of expression, beauty? Why?

 

[LizzieMaine]

It's not just women who do it, either. Somebody needs to take Billy Crystal aside and explain that just because you're a comedian doesn't mean you need to have a face like one of those porcelain clown dolls.

 

[Miss Golightly]

A huge amount of actors have had some kind of work done - nose jobs seem to be the most popular (and I don't have an issue with that really) but there has been complete overkill with the botox and fillers - so many actors now look like extras from House of Wax.

Sandra Bullock looked a little strange to me at the Oscars - her forehead was moving (slightly) but the rest of her face had this completely unnatural sheen to it - like it was covered in oil.

I would take wrinkles over waxen, emotionally devoid faces any day.......

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Who's actually fooled by a face stretched tight like a Rawlings baseball? And does anyone really think that we've been tricked by a seventy-year-old woman who still has ink-black hair?* If your hair looks younger than you or your face looks like it's currently enduring wind tunnel-force winds, it's time to just let it go.

There's also that "fish face" look that's positively terrifying! We've become a race of Mackerel.

They're also marketing this stuff to men, whom I mistakenly believed were allowed through society's double standard to "age gracefully." Not anymore! The "pressure" is on for the aging fellas, too!




*Please no one respond with "Well, MY mother is [Methuselah age here] and she still has her ink-black hair!" It's the exception, not the rule.

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

I Think a classic face lift where muscle is lifted too, can look terrific, but I detest this new "Pillow Face"look which is just "Fillers" pumped in by needles!, yes its cheaper, and can be done quickly with little down time, but Really!!

 

[scottyrocks]

That's Meg Ryan on the right? Tell me it's a cruel joke!

And did you see Melanie Griffith on the red carpet (with Antonio Banderas, I believe)? I can't believe what she's had doen to her face. It's a tragedy.

 

[Edward]

I don't quite understand why anyone would choose a fake look as opposed to something with a more natural appearance when having cosmetic procedures. The latter certainly is available, and can look great. I've know folks who have had botox and it looks wonderful on them - though I've ruled it out for myself, purely on grounds of cost and losing my ability to raise one eyebrow. It's a terrible shame that anyone should feel obliged to have work done to suit the expectations of others, but if it's what they want, fair enough I suppose. I'd certainly have a lot of work done if I had the time and the money, and it's not like anyone else cares what I look like.

 

[Flicka]

I have disgustingly good genes (I still get carded for alcohol and 20 is legal age here) but even if I hadn't I'd still prefer to look like I had a lifetime of experience to risk looking like I was an earlier, unfortunate prototype to the Bladerunner androids.

Besides, I'll never be a beauty queen what I ever I do, so I'd rather not judge myself by my looks or take note of the people who judge me by those standards. It must be horrible to have been a person who's used to getting ahead by their looks and lose them. I mean, if you've always judged others and been judged by others by that criteria, it must be like suddenly you're worthless.

No wonder they get desperate and think the more and more extreme measures the better...

 

[fortworthgal]

I don't really understand it either, except to say that I can see how it must be difficult for an actress to age naturally, when youth & beauty are valued over almost all else in one's chosen profession, and your paycheck and livelihood rely upon it. I agree with what Flicka said, it must be tough to rely on one's looks, and then begin to lose them.
Look at Demi Moore's recent issues, where the desperate cling to youth is quite apparent.

I also believe that once a person starts in with things like botox and fillers, it becomes tough to stop, almost like an addiction. "Well if I had this injection done, maybe I should have this little tuck here to fix this, and then I can also try this fill here..." It snowballs. That's just my opinion.

I don't have an issue with plastic surgery in general, especially to fix something one is self-conscious about, or even facelifts or some other work, particularly if one's profession relies on appearance. The overuse of botox and fillers does disturb me, though.

I even see many women in real life that have taken it to the extreme - 40s and 50s dressing like teens, filled to the brim with botox, thanks to the "Real Housewives" and other such nonsense. One of my older friends recently dyed her hair blonde and had botox done in her forehead. I don't understand why, she looked just fine before.

I personally like Diane Lane, she looks very natural. My personal vote for worst offender is Mamie Van Doren.

 

[Emily the Storyteller]

Fortworthgal - I'd have thought it would be against an actor/actress' best interests careerwise to overdo it with the surgery, in particular botoxing their faces into oblivion. Surely, one would think their career rests on their ability to move their faces in order to potray emotion, to create characters, to make the audience believe that the face on the screen is a real person with a story? A character that you can believe in is not going to be created by someone who looks as though their face has been moulded out of plastic.

Maybe I'm just being naive [huh]

 

[Marc Chevalier]

Look at Demi Moore's recent issues, where the desperate cling to youth is quite apparent.

That said, Demi Moore's facial plastic surgery results are incredibly good.

 

[fortworthgal]

^ ITA! Demi is very well-preserved.

Fortworthgal - I'd have thought it would be against an actor/actress' best interests careerwise to overdo it with the surgery, in particular botoxing their faces into oblivion. Surely, one would think their career rests on their ability to move their faces in order to potray emotion, to create characters, to make the audience believe that the face on the screen is a real person with a story? A character that you can believe in is not going to be created by someone who looks as though their face has been moulded out of plastic.

Maybe I'm just being naive [huh]

I see your point. But I believe that even more important than that ability to portray emotion is the ability to remain forever young, at least in the eyes of the person having the procedures done.

 

[W-D Forties]

I find that many actresses have had so much done that I can't tell them apart. They all have identical noses, chins, hair, boobs.

It's very noticable that if you look at any film that is over 20 years old these days the actors of both sexes all look like 'character' actors would now, i.e. individual, interesting. You can see the difference in particular with any film that has been recently 'reimagined' or remade. All the recent actors look as though they are made by Mattel.

A prime case of overdoing it is Jennifer Grey. Great in Ferris Bueller and Dirty Dancing then had so much surgery that she became unrecognisable and actually lost work because of it.

 

[scottyrocks]

I have always been a practical sort, so plastic surgery of any kind is a definite taboo item in my book. Surgery is for necessity, not vanity, as far as I'm concerned.

 

[LizzieMaine]

This is the inevitable result of "stars" created by focus groups rather than by talent.

 

[bunnyb.gal]

Not exactly an a-lister but I was shocked to see what Lara Flynn Boyle has done to herself.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1337498/Lara-Flynn-Boyle-unrecognisable-Los-Angeles.html

She was absolutely stunning, as were all of the Twin Peaks ladies, with that something extra. All gone now, and not because of the passing years. Just another Trout Pout.

 

[LizzieMaine]

When, exactly, did grotesque become the new beautiful? I don't get this whole puffy-lips thing at all -- they all look like they've got an infection. What are they *trying* to look like?

 

[katiesparkles]

I will never understand why women who got too much done always look like this:

It's like all plastic surgeons all over the world have one face template.


That mentioned... I'm not against plastic surgery. I believe that if you are truly unhappy about something you simply cannot change (e.g. breast deformation, crooked nose, a large mole, loose skin after losing a lot of weight, blah blah, you get the idea) I'd say go for it. However, I do not support people who think they can eat at McDonald's 4 times a week and the just get lipo because they have enough money to do it... or people who treat cosmetic surgery like a manicure.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[rue]

It's just what "they" do. Honestly, I don't know anyone in L.A. that hasn't had work done and in fact all the women in my family have. My aunt has had 8 face lifts and she's 75. I'm seriously the last hold out.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

(doing Eric Morecambe cackle)
Trout Pout! lol

When I think of a trout pout, Nadya Suleman, the infamous "Octomom" immediately comes to mind. :doh: