Karen Foley
Lynn Raye Harris
Ellen Hartman
Diana Holquist
Samantha Hunter
Shirley Jump
Dee Tenorio
Jeannie Watt
A Wee Bit of a Rant
The other day while reading the news online, I clicked on a link that said See Ben Affleck Age. Now, back in the early 1990s, I taught science using a series of educational videos called The Voyage of the Mimi, which starred a thirteen year old Ben Affleck. Let me tell you, I would have never thought that kid would have grown up to be Ben, but he did. So I thought I was clicking on a link that would show me a series of photos of Ben aging from sweet-faced kid to adult male. Wrongo. I got to see a photo of Ben’s tiny bald spot and a few wrinkles on his face. You know—the normal things that happen to many humans of the male persuasion. But the kicker was that there were also 49 other photos of celebrities showing signs of *GASP* actual human aging.
I find it hard to believe that people are actually in the business of hiding in bushes, etc, and zooming camera lenses in to capture veiny hands, bald spots, and minor amounts of cellulite. Okay—there were some major amounts of cellulite, too, but that’s normal. As in NORMAL. In this age of computer photo-fixing we tend to forget what normal looks like.
I realize that celebs are in the fantasy business. We want them to be perfect, in order to perpetuate the fantasy. And then, because they seem so perfect, there’s a certain thrill in seeing that they, too, neglect to shave their armpits. Or have super bad hair days. Or look crappy without makeup. Or, that despite intensive exercise programs, they still have lumps and bumps like the rest of us. But...the fantasy suffers. So off to the surgeon, laser specialist, etc. The public demands it. (I don’t think the public wants to know about it, though. We want our fantasies to be naturally gorgeous, not surgically enhanced. The public is a hard task master.)
I’m not sure exactly where I’m going with this rant. I have nothing against cosmetic surgery, used responsibly, and I have nothing against people who simply want to age naturally. But I think it’s crazy that there’s such a market for cellulite photos.
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Don't you see those tabloid papers at the checkstand??
I don't buy or read them but at least once every couple of weeks, they'll show celebrities (usually women) either without makeup or it will have a display of men and women's bodies in swimsuits and ask you to pick which star has problems.
What they (that all-knowing they) seem to forget is that we can look beyond all that.
Ask 25 women to name 3 male stars they find sexy and I'll bet Sean Connery's name comes up more than once. He's bald and no longer trim. Doesn't matter. He's got that certain something. Same with Harrison Ford. The man has more wrinkles than my ironing basket but it doesn't matter. How many of us flocked to see the latest Indiana Jones movie even knowing he was playing his age?
How many men still name Sophia Loren as a sexy broad? Lets face it, she got better looking after age 40! Sandra Bullock is cute, not beautiful, but she makes lists of the most gorgeous all the time.
I like a star that is a little more "average" looking. Someone I can identify with. I'm not and never going to be one of those women that looks flawless--how boring!
ani
Go Ani! and I'm a huge Sean
Go Ani! and I'm a huge Sean Connery fan. Snadra Bullock, too. I also love how Susan Sarandon has embraced her fifties. One of my all time crushes was Harry Anderson on Night Court. I love Harry, but he's a pretty average looking Joe.
Good Rant
Hi Jeannie:
I think your rant was an excellent one. I've long been appalled by the "celebrity culture", and the whole body perfection thing the majority of them seem to strive to attain despite, as you pointed out, the natural aging process. Now, I have to preface this by saying that I don't like to generalize and I think there are some celebs that do their job and live life quietly. However, you never see them profiled in the supermarket tabloids.
I know this isn't related to the message of your post but I think there are also actors and actresses that are very unnerved by photographers jumping out of trees and invading their lives. I saw a rare interview this past week with Michelle Williams (I think that is her name) who is the mother of the late Heath Ledger's daughter. She seemed very sincere and a very down to earth woman, who has been badly harrassed since his death. Photographers hiding in bushes and in trees and taking her picture and pestering her.
She has been doing some independent film and is a wonderful actress, but is ready to give up her career! How awful is that?
But I guess as long as there is a market for this tripe out there, the rag magazines etc. will continue to buy the photos etc.
Sorry to rant off topic.
Great post! All the best to you for the festive season. :)
Lea
Great addition. Feel free to rant off topic anytime :) I agree--it's got to be awful to try to live your life as normally as possible--especially if you have kids--and to have to always be on the lookout for the lens. I can only imagine the shots people could get of me if I were a celeb. Oy. Feeding the horses in my nightgown with a down coat over the top, Arctic Pac boots on my feet, with bare white (possibly cellulity) legs showing between gown and boots. Yeah--I'd be a papparazzi dream.
Bleh
Hi, Jeannie! All the stuff surrounding famous people is kind of crazy--I dislike that they feel pressure to conform to sometimes truly unrealistic standards of attractiveness and it's ridiculous that they have no privacy. On the other hand, people need to stop holding them up to be these paragons AND to leave them alone! (Don't get me started on fame whores though--that's another yuck.) Sorry, I guess I'm ranting, too!
Right on, Fedora!
I saw a cover story on one of the tabloids where they were pointing out the stars who had "recovered" their bodies, or parts of their bodies. Almost every "recovery" was through a surgical procedure and this rag was commending the stars--for having the money and the time to have the procedure done, I guess. The pressure must be something. I do commiserate with them--excluding fame whores, of course...:)
Oh good grief!
Oh well, there are plenty of things I can read aside from these (though yes, I do sometimes sneak a peek while in the supermarket checkout)--I'd rather go grab something from my TBR! ;)
BTW, OT, I know you've got A Cowboy's Redemption coming out soon, but what are you working on these days? And what else is coming after ACR? (Apologies if you've recently already mentioned--my memory's a sieve...)
Fedora--You can ask me about
Fedora--You can ask me about my books any time :) After A Cowboy's Redemption in February, I have Cowboy Comes Back in July. It's a spinoff of ACR, and I gotta tell you--it's one of my favorites, even if the characters did give me fits for a while.
Right now I'm writing a three-book proposal about sisters returning to their hometown and "The Men They Left Behind." I'm hoping to have it sent off early next week and then it's a waiting game.
Thanks for asking,
Jeannie
That sounds great!!
I love books with connecting characters. I like to know what happened to them after I finished reading their own story!
Everyone must be Christmas Shopping
Jeannie I agree. I think people are entitled to some degree of privacy even if their job puts them in the public eye. I don’t think it is right to go after pictures of them running to the store without their make-up on etc. Even worse are the ones intruding on the lives of their families. However I think the press is entitled to publish mug shots of any one who gets arrested. If you are a celebrity you should have enough money to take a cab if you have been drinking.
LOL-- on the picture of you feeding your horses.
Knew about ACR and love the cover of it. Really excited that there will be a spinoff. Really hoping for the trilogy.
Oh Kaelee--I am a sight
Oh Kaelee--I am a sight sometimes, lol. I've been playing with the idea of another book using one more character from ACR. We'll see how that goes. I like trilogies, too. There's something satsifying about three books.
Jeannie
Sigh
It is sad how these pictures sell and people decide X Y or Z person is a "troll" or "disgusting" because they didn't make a super effort to look nice that day.
Expecting stars - and therefore everyone - to be perfect is also what gives all these people complexes, and all sorts of other problems. *sigh* And I agree with Ani. It's not all 100% looks, even though oftentimes it seems that's all that matters.
You should see the trauma my
You should see the trauma my 8th graders put themselves through, worrying about being "good enough". I wish they could understand just how much airbrushing goes on after the photo shoots, etc.
*Sigh* It's too bad that
*Sigh* It's too bad that these are the things that our media thinks we need to see.
J.K. Coi
Immortals To Die For
www.jkcoi.com