elizabeth taylor from the film, ash wednesday
This is how my thought process went… and sorry if it’s all too much for a Monday… but you know how it is… when the idea is there… I like to talk.
I watched a video that Madonna made to launch her new skin care line MDNA.
I have no idea what the skincare is like but I do know that I can’t truthfully say I liked the video… too over the top, too much Madonna… even for me… which is not to say that I don’t admire her… I do. She is an incredible performer, a bright energetic woman that knows no limits.
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It made me ponder the question of cosmetic surgery. Madonna looks incredible, like it or not… and I don’t think her good fortune is down to genetics and nature alone.
The do I... don’t I… the if… the when… all those thoughts that we would rather not have… but if the truth be told… I suspect most of us have them, when we reach that certain age… that frontier of life where everything, except our looks, gets richer, more exciting and more wondrous.
50+ is an extraordinary time… we are wiser, more confident and most importantly… more certain.
What we want, where we want to be and what we want to do, are no longer torturous questions that keep us tossing and turning… We know the answers and we determinedly follow our path.
Except I fear when it comes to our looks.
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Sadly without exception, we age… and while age is a beautiful thing… it’s confrontational.
I don’t want to look like Madonna… not for a moment… and I would like to think that I can transition these years scalpel free … embracing my flaws and rejoicing in the confidence that allows me to do that.
Will it be harder said than done? I think so… the quest for beauty is the biggest temptation of all.
As cosmetic procedures advance and catapult us forward into new territory… won’t it become harder and harder to resist the pull?
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How do we resist?
Or do we want to resist at all?
Is that an old fashioned mind set… too European .
Should we embrace the technologies available to us in the New World and rejig it all?
New more open, wider eyes… pronounced cheekbones, streamlined nose… firmer jawline… less double chin…
Let’s not even start on the body.
Temptation… Indeed... Forget about the apple… this is tough stuff to fight.
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Are there are alternatives?
Can we make it through this maze of cosmetic intervention by half measures?
Take a French approach?
French women are the queens of maintenance… Maintenance is key.
As a rule they don’t neglect themselves… NEVER
Their appearance is a priority… and they work on it… it’s a way of life… They don’t practise ‘quick fixes’… or instant solutions… like we err towards.
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Don’t believe that they don’t indulge in surgical procedures… they do… but they take a less invasive, more subtle approach.
Think Catherine Deneuve… she is a magnificent woman who retains her beauty, yet celebrates her age. She is by no means flawless, yet she has moved into her mature years with a certain grace and elegance. Helped… for sure… but subtlely so…
French women are clever… a tweak here…a re-surface there… a shot or two… small changes that enhance their appearance, not re-create it.
Their mantra is to look beautiful at any age… not, to look younger at each and every passing decade.
Look amazing at your age… not amazing for your age.
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I could talk on and on but I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Tell me your philosophy on this tricky little subject.
There is no right or wrong answer… there should never be judgements.
I’m around to chat… xv
watch the madonna video here
if you haven’t read forever chic by tish jett… it’s a must
in conversation with tish… here
she knows all about french women and their beauty secrets… it’s a fabulous read.
