Love your insights on this topic, Val. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the nonconsensual “makeover” age itself gives us. How time can render humans unrecognizable; and so we sometimes submit to plastic surgery or dermatologic tweaks or various other makeovers to try to regain control over our appearance and hold onto our identity, craving an “after” that resembles our very best before, if that makes any sense. And when our efforts backfire, when we move even further from our desired image, of course it can be devastating. Just my two cents. And thanks, pal, for the link! Xx
Whitney M. FishburnWrites docu-mental: mapping the americ… ·3 min ago
I spent about a third of my career chasing academic/clinical doctors around much of the globe to attend their medical meetings and hear them discuss, and in some cases, defend their latest findings. Esthetic derm meetings were always the weirdest. I should write about that, but relevant to this post of yours, Val, I am reminded of the time when an esthetic-derm-to-the-stars removed his shirt at the podium (oh, these meetings used to get even weirder than this, I promise), and then turned to show us all his back.
Speaking into his mic, his back still turned to us, he asked us all in the audience to notice how firm his sides were. This was not from working with a trainer at the gym, but was the result of what the cold sculpting technology made possible, he trumpeted.
Given that I had already been shocked into a mild state of senselessness after being made to watch a video of liposuction in order to demonstrate to the derm crowd in attendance how much easier and less messy this cold treatment you refer to, Val, would be in the clinical setting, I was just not prepared for a half naked doctor taking the stage. But moreso, I was puzzled by his thrill.
A buzz went up through the crowd. I have no idea what the actual sentiment was, but they were exercised over the display.
To me, he looked hard, and not in the way that we like hard bodies. He looked plastic. His sides didn't look like they were shaped correctly. The left side was bulging out farther than the right.
What was I missing?
In my confused state, I still managed the cogent thought that it would probably be easier to celebrate (?) with the rest of the crowd if a) I knew what he had looked like before and b) I could touch his back and feel for myself, because he looked misshapen to me, not beachy buff.
Since touching him would, it seemed to me, be exactly the kind of thing I should not do and he would want done, I decided to leave his success to his imagination.
And yet, I never forgot that day. Accordingly, I never got the procedure.
(Nor did I ever have liposuction. The video cured me of that, if I ever would have considered it anyway, although that is not likely. Just remembering the hot bucket of melted human fat makes my stomach lurch.)
Me too! I'm glad I wasn't the only one with a icky curiosity about Ms. Evangelista's situation. Regarding makeovers, I just loved them especially "What Not to Wear" YET you make such a good point about what these makeovers are all about...really. I mean, really, what ARE they all about? The Disney myth of all the princesses coming from nothing to royalty? Philosophically I think it is somewhat problematic; however, I can't help revel in getting a real good haircut or putting on a bright lipstick. I know it doesn't have to be either/or but I'm ever mindul of what the beauty industry to woo us into buying stuff that will, indeed, make us over, which in truth really can't...at least not in way Disney princesses are made.
I had the same thoughts about Linda Evangelista’s appearance. And, like you, had to remind myself of what she is used to looking like—I can see how her “disfigurement” can be devastating for her. I do feel bad for her.
As someone who frequently gets sick pleasure from looking at filler and surgery before-and-after pictures, I certainly understand the morose curiosity in finding out what Linda considers to be disfigurement, as well as the joy of seeing any kind of makeover. I definitely feel like the easy maintenance makeover you did at O is the best way. They do the same thing on the new Queer Eye: not aiming to change the person's essence or style, but just to give it new life. And the sad thing is, at the big reveal on that show, my baser self is always saying, "Aw man! You didn't get rid of that ugly beard--you just trimmed it!?" The unrecognizable makeovers are always the most interesting.
I used to find makeovers compelling for a different reason. I never felt good at all the hoop jumping regarding body maintenance and product manipulation that fell under the heading of “being a girl”. My mother, as brilliant and earnest and concerned about her community as she is, was no help. I’ve never seen her even put on lipstick. And being a smart and cantankerous woman myself, I found myself resenting the idea that whether other people considered me “pretty” was supposed to be of utmost importance. And yet, I was, as we all are, attracted to beauty and there was a huge part of me that resented all the beauty trappings because I felt like it was a language I couldn’t seem to learn that other women picked up easily. Makeovers were always, I imagined, were like a visit from a fairy godmother who would finally explain all this girl business to me.
Your mother and mine did it right. My mother always said, the prettiest thing about you is the smile on your face. Our moms always looked good. Just taking care of themselves, wearing a little make up and being beautiful on the inside (Course the fact that they were both beauties naturally helped a bit! haha
Love your insights on this topic, Val. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the nonconsensual “makeover” age itself gives us. How time can render humans unrecognizable; and so we sometimes submit to plastic surgery or dermatologic tweaks or various other makeovers to try to regain control over our appearance and hold onto our identity, craving an “after” that resembles our very best before, if that makes any sense. And when our efforts backfire, when we move even further from our desired image, of course it can be devastating. Just my two cents. And thanks, pal, for the link! Xx
Whitney M. FishburnWrites docu-mental: mapping the americ… ·3 min ago
I spent about a third of my career chasing academic/clinical doctors around much of the globe to attend their medical meetings and hear them discuss, and in some cases, defend their latest findings. Esthetic derm meetings were always the weirdest. I should write about that, but relevant to this post of yours, Val, I am reminded of the time when an esthetic-derm-to-the-stars removed his shirt at the podium (oh, these meetings used to get even weirder than this, I promise), and then turned to show us all his back.
Speaking into his mic, his back still turned to us, he asked us all in the audience to notice how firm his sides were. This was not from working with a trainer at the gym, but was the result of what the cold sculpting technology made possible, he trumpeted.
Given that I had already been shocked into a mild state of senselessness after being made to watch a video of liposuction in order to demonstrate to the derm crowd in attendance how much easier and less messy this cold treatment you refer to, Val, would be in the clinical setting, I was just not prepared for a half naked doctor taking the stage. But moreso, I was puzzled by his thrill.
A buzz went up through the crowd. I have no idea what the actual sentiment was, but they were exercised over the display.
To me, he looked hard, and not in the way that we like hard bodies. He looked plastic. His sides didn't look like they were shaped correctly. The left side was bulging out farther than the right.
What was I missing?
In my confused state, I still managed the cogent thought that it would probably be easier to celebrate (?) with the rest of the crowd if a) I knew what he had looked like before and b) I could touch his back and feel for myself, because he looked misshapen to me, not beachy buff.
Since touching him would, it seemed to me, be exactly the kind of thing I should not do and he would want done, I decided to leave his success to his imagination.
And yet, I never forgot that day. Accordingly, I never got the procedure.
(Nor did I ever have liposuction. The video cured me of that, if I ever would have considered it anyway, although that is not likely. Just remembering the hot bucket of melted human fat makes my stomach lurch.)
Me too! I'm glad I wasn't the only one with a icky curiosity about Ms. Evangelista's situation. Regarding makeovers, I just loved them especially "What Not to Wear" YET you make such a good point about what these makeovers are all about...really. I mean, really, what ARE they all about? The Disney myth of all the princesses coming from nothing to royalty? Philosophically I think it is somewhat problematic; however, I can't help revel in getting a real good haircut or putting on a bright lipstick. I know it doesn't have to be either/or but I'm ever mindul of what the beauty industry to woo us into buying stuff that will, indeed, make us over, which in truth really can't...at least not in way Disney princesses are made.
Val, old girl, we are lucky. We hold the memory of Linda Evangelista’s extraordinary beauty.
I had the same thoughts about Linda Evangelista’s appearance. And, like you, had to remind myself of what she is used to looking like—I can see how her “disfigurement” can be devastating for her. I do feel bad for her.
As someone who frequently gets sick pleasure from looking at filler and surgery before-and-after pictures, I certainly understand the morose curiosity in finding out what Linda considers to be disfigurement, as well as the joy of seeing any kind of makeover. I definitely feel like the easy maintenance makeover you did at O is the best way. They do the same thing on the new Queer Eye: not aiming to change the person's essence or style, but just to give it new life. And the sad thing is, at the big reveal on that show, my baser self is always saying, "Aw man! You didn't get rid of that ugly beard--you just trimmed it!?" The unrecognizable makeovers are always the most interesting.
I used to find makeovers compelling for a different reason. I never felt good at all the hoop jumping regarding body maintenance and product manipulation that fell under the heading of “being a girl”. My mother, as brilliant and earnest and concerned about her community as she is, was no help. I’ve never seen her even put on lipstick. And being a smart and cantankerous woman myself, I found myself resenting the idea that whether other people considered me “pretty” was supposed to be of utmost importance. And yet, I was, as we all are, attracted to beauty and there was a huge part of me that resented all the beauty trappings because I felt like it was a language I couldn’t seem to learn that other women picked up easily. Makeovers were always, I imagined, were like a visit from a fairy godmother who would finally explain all this girl business to me.
Your mother and mine did it right. My mother always said, the prettiest thing about you is the smile on your face. Our moms always looked good. Just taking care of themselves, wearing a little make up and being beautiful on the inside (Course the fact that they were both beauties naturally helped a bit! haha