Gah. If I read one more comment from an over-enthusiastic celebrity attributing her ageless beauty to drinking water, playing tennis or happiness, I am going to puke.
Enter Christie Brinkley. Last week, America’s girl next door turned 60, posed in a blue swimsuit for People magazine and shared with the world her beauty tips and secrets to looking young.
Her secrets to looking so youthful , wait for it… smiling and fresh air!
C’mon uptown girl, you can’t be serious. I’ve been smiling my entire life and love the great outdoors, yet in your photo we look of a similar vintage and you’re nearly twice my age.
If she answered truthfully we might’ve heard a response like this:
“I am genetically blessed.”
or
“I am in great shape but the photos have been heavily Photoshopped.”
or
“I have engaged in some cosmetic surgery.”
Instead we were given a fluffy answer and no acknowledgment of the hidden truths. If Christie truly wanted to celebrate her age, then she never would’ve allowed her images to be Photoshopped as heavily as they were.
But there is something that irks me more than Christie fabricating a fantasy about how much she loves her body now that she is 60. It is the bogus and phony pitch of pretending to celebrate one thing but really promoting another.
Stories about celebrating ageing are bullshit, most articles are celebrating youth in the guise of celebrating ageing. If it were the genuine intention of a magazine to celebrate ageing, then we would see 60 year old women who actually looked 60 and the photographs wouldn’t be digitally altered to make them look any younger than they what they were.
Why are we only celebrating ageing when someone looks at least 20 years younger than they “should”. There is a wide gamut of what 60 looks like but to keep using surgery and Photoshop as the benchmark doesn’t do us women any favors.
I want to see a 60- old-woman grace the cover of a magazine who looks 60 and is genuinely embracing her lines and her age. I don’t want to see a manufactured “youthful” version of her, I want the real deal. And I am not alone. I’ve spoken to tens of thousands of women on this particular subject and the voice is strong – give us REAL images. (not real women because after all we are ALL real!)
Enough of the misrepresentation, the lies, the smoke, the mirrors, the bullshit.
Magazines, publishers, journos, our voices are strong but are we being heard? Can you please stop ramming these lies down our throats and give us what we want – throw us mere non photoshopped mortals a freaking bone would you and stop promoting an unobtainable ideal of ageing.
What do you think about celebrity tips for looking good as you age? Would you prefer more honesty – and a more genuine celebration of ageing?
Top Comments
I am her age, and I've never had anything done. I've relaxed with my beauty care.. and I agree that Christie looks really good. It's her choice, and good for her.. just don't overdo it. Fillers and surgery can cross over to not so good results. As far as a role model, it's a very hard one to attain... most of us are not genetically blessed with her genes that she was lucky to have at birth. Also, most of us don't have her kind of money to go out to have procedures done. I look in the mirror, and am not happy with what I see. I used to be quite attractive in my youth, and I won't lie, I miss that. But, it is what it is. I'm a 62 year old, naturally aging woman. I'm not bad looking, but I look my age. If I could afford it, I would have some procedures done.
This brings me to another point. Why, at this stage of life, does it feel like pressure to look at least 10 to 20 years younger? Of course, I realize that it's a pressure that I've put on myself. I don't have to care about that. I think it's our society and the media.. showing women like Christie.. that, that is what the standard is now. Why can't we, at a certain age, just feel comfortable and relax in our aging.. especially for women? Why can't natural aging be shown more in magazines and celebrated? I've seen women that are clearly in their 60's and beyond, who look very attractive, even beautiful. I'll give Olivia de Havilland as an example, who just turned 100. She still is beautiful and elegant.
I agree with another commenter, who said that real, natural women of all ages, without the fillers, procedures and photo shopping, would be a welcome change to see and celebrated.
I am genetically blessed & there is no way you can do this @ 60 trust me no way I am 46 I work out I diet for the last Ummmteen years ...EVEN MADONNNA who is amazing has a super work out regimen & diet needs a little extra but at least she doesn't lie.. Im tired hearing lies it makes it harder for the rest of us ladies ! We give & change & bust our ass but Why ? Why do we give more to men when they don't appreciate anyways most look really old by my age by the way were winning the war on age LOL!