In a Newsweek article on the rise of cosmetic use and other forms of beauty “maintenance” among young girls and women:
“New statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery show that cosmetic- surgery procedures performed on those 18 and younger have nearly doubled over the past decade. Dr. Alan Gold, the society’s president, says that nearly 14 percent of Botox injections are given in the 19 to 34 age group—and while his trade group doesn’t break down those ages any more specifically, he’s seen a significant increase in the younger end of that group, seeking treatments as preventative. ‘I think what we’ve done is level the playing field, in that someone who may not have had great exposure to these things before—say, on a farm in Iowa—has the same options available to them,” says Gold, who runs a private practice in Great Neck, N.Y. “Thomas Friedman has written how the world is flat economically. Well, it’s getting flatter in terms of aging and appearance, too.'”
– Good to know that I’m soon going to be too old to get “preventative” Botox. Shucks: sorry I missed it.
– Why is it that whenever someone airily indicates “someone on a farm in Iowa” I know I’m going to have reason to cringe?
– What if that little wriggler in my stomach is a girl? How do we keep her from this worse-than-nonsense?
Erin
Alan Schmierer
Fear not, my friend, you and Sydney will quickly master the art of saying no, as our parents did to all our ridiculous requests. I remember asking to wear makeup and whining that the neighbor girl got to wear it and my mom said, “would you prefer to live with them?” (the answer to that was always NO!) Today, I still don’t know how to apply eyeliner, all the makeup I own fits in one small ziplock bag, and I can count on one hand the number of times I apply any of it in a month. Hopefully, we can teach our children to be at peace with who they are, so they do not look like creepy, plastic-faced zombies by the time they’re 40… all from fighting a battle that they can never win.
–heidi
I certainly hope so. I’m usually very good at saying “NO,” and Adam gave me good practice in sticking with that even when the pleader is cute, dimpled, and has lovely blue eyes 🙂
Erin