my very favorite comment on cosmetic surgery happened in old hollywood many many moons ago. i got this story from a total insider who was known to hang with the principle character and i do not doubt its truth.
in the 20's at the twilight of his illustrious career, cosmetic surgery was just beginning to come into vogue by actors and actresses in response to the merciless and unblinking quality of the the camera's lens. a studio functionary approached john barrymore with the goal of talking him into a procedure which would make him appear younger and less craggy. according to the story barrymore paralyzed him with a look which was, at once, contemptuous and weary. barrymore then said "at my age dear boy, i deserve this face."
And do most men really care? Seriously? Are scars more attractive than a little flab?
I've dated a couple of guys with horrific stretch marks on their arms and backs from sudden teenage growth spurts. My own genes has cursed me with a classic beer belly.
Who cares? We're not all born to be movie stars and models.
I think women are much harder on themselves than men are, Fritz. But that's because we're coming at it from a culture in which beauty is very narrowly defined, and those who don't measure up need to go and buy things designed to help them do so.
After a woman has given birth, there is generally a 6-week ban on having sex--longer if there were certain complications--so one might say that Dear Partner, at that point, will think of his beloved as the most beautiful, desirable creature on earth.
And I promise you, the female body at six-weeks postpartum is far from movie star perfect.
It is hard to look in the mirror, at first, and believe that you're the same sexy creature you were before. But time is an absolutely amazing friend in this, if not other, respects.
I really, really wish our culture would begin promoting the notion that having a baby is a mind-blowing accomplishment, something brave and outrageous--beautiful, I'd say--and deserving of society's admiration and support. As it stands now, the pressure to erase all physical evidence of one's effort and accomplishment to that end is overwhelming, and it starts up before the ink is dry on the baby's birth certificate.
sometimes, as the discussions drift into the deeper water, i remind myself that 2ndX was "movie star" perfect. impossibly tall, breathtakingly beautiful. thing was looking that great was damned near a full time job. then she figured, "ok this will save time" and had the eyeliner and the eyebrows simply tattooed. ultimately though, when the whole thing went south (she bailed to take a show in acapulco while i was on a northeastern tour) there was a profound sense of relief. not because she wasn't gorgeous. hell, total strangers could see that. she was also sweet and gentle. thing was, the whole "beauty is work" thing was a complete bore.
for me boring is unbearable.
litbrit...
you just met your first woman who doesnt color her hair!
wouldnt do it.
wouldnt put chemicals on my scalp.
and i have long hair to my waist, just as nature has intended it to be!
...as long as we take care of ourselves, in grace and harmony with health and nature, we are beautiful.
The ad agency must have sold that copy to a lot of different plastic docs around the country. On is playing here in Austin that is almost identical.
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