Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Is Not a Plastic Surgeon
I love the quote below from, of all people, Jane Seymour in New York magazine. I say "of all people" because the 56-year-old former Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, isn't an actress I've particularly followed or for whom I have strong feelings one way or another. But the epidemic of facelifts in Hollywood is something I've quietly fumed about for years. Given Americans' reverence for, even obsession with, celebrity -- which has rapidly accelerated in my adulthood -- this very public (but rarely fessed-up-to) representation of a fear of aging fuels the same among noncelebrities. Indeed, I think it goes even further than that by sending the message that old people are ugly.
Leaving aside the destructive effects on younger people's development and self-esteem as they move forward in life and look toward the future, imagine what this unspoken message must feel like to older citizens -- our parents and grandparents -- whom we should care for and honor in what for some of them can be the loneliest and most loss-filled time of their lives.
Growing old is a part of life. It will happen to every one of us. You don't have to like it -- I don't -- but the best way to go into it, in my opinion, is to take care of yourself and to look as good and be as healthy as you can be for your age. There's nothing wrong with trying to look attractive! But whatever age you are has the potential for beauty and dignity all on its own.
Here's the quote from Seymour:
"I'm sure I'll be playing grannies very soon. I'm the only person apart from Helen Mirren and Judi Dench* who hasn't had face-lifts. And I doubt I will. I love acting, and I just think that if I start looking like someone other than myself, that would be defeating the purpose. Can't you always tell?** It's the newsreaders who get me now, you know, when they're talking about some terrible tragedy in the world and nothing is moving. They can't even feign concern."
________
* I think these are two of the most beautiful women in film.
** Yes, you can!
Leaving aside the destructive effects on younger people's development and self-esteem as they move forward in life and look toward the future, imagine what this unspoken message must feel like to older citizens -- our parents and grandparents -- whom we should care for and honor in what for some of them can be the loneliest and most loss-filled time of their lives.
Growing old is a part of life. It will happen to every one of us. You don't have to like it -- I don't -- but the best way to go into it, in my opinion, is to take care of yourself and to look as good and be as healthy as you can be for your age. There's nothing wrong with trying to look attractive! But whatever age you are has the potential for beauty and dignity all on its own.
Here's the quote from Seymour:
"I'm sure I'll be playing grannies very soon. I'm the only person apart from Helen Mirren and Judi Dench* who hasn't had face-lifts. And I doubt I will. I love acting, and I just think that if I start looking like someone other than myself, that would be defeating the purpose. Can't you always tell?** It's the newsreaders who get me now, you know, when they're talking about some terrible tragedy in the world and nothing is moving. They can't even feign concern."
________
* I think these are two of the most beautiful women in film.
** Yes, you can!
posted by Billy at 9:13 AM
5 Comments:
I love how she calls them "newsreaders" rather than "reporters." HAH!
I also totally *heart* Helen Mirren and Judi Dench.
I love Helen Mirren, and I now have new respect for Jane Seymour. Good for her.
You should read today's post on Queer Sighted about gay elders. ( It's heart-breaking.
http://www.queersighted.com/2007/03/27/gay-elders-lives-of-courage-shattered-hearts-and-crushed-souls/
Add Meryl Streep to the list of those who use every moment of their years in service to conveying character and emotion. And Julie Christie -- her heartbreaking performance in the new film "Away from Her" is exquisitely beautiful, as is she. I honestly do not think there is a supermodel or glamourpuss who could surpass her, not even the stunningly beautiful Christie herself in her earlier movies.
Once, a photographer who was taking my picture asked me what ethnic group I was from. I told him "Fiddler on the Roof" -- Russian Jewish. He said, "That's funny, so am I and I usually recognize that right away in the people I shoot. Why didn't I this time? I know! You're the first Jewish woman I ever met who does not dye her hair!" I called my mother (a "blonde" with three gray-haired daughters) to tell her what he said and she laughed so hard she had to sit down.
i don't mind aging. my hair is getting more and more grey as the years pile up, and i've got some nice wrinkles happening. however, someday i might put my boobs back to where they've never been. it's not because it would make me look young, but because i've never had perky boobs. :) the wrinkles can stay.
alas, the one drawback to aging is that my mind doens't think i'm old. only my body does.
funny that i've always liked older guys, the salt and pepper hair, weathered skin, wrinkles. but i don't like those things on me. today i put on my new glasses while looking in the mirror and could only look past them to the wrinkles around my eyes. and yet, i don't mind the aging process. or maybe i should say i'm not afraid of it. it's like death. inevitable. and mostly out of my control. well up to a point anyway.
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