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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think 'omg there's something WRONG with her FACE' when I see so many American actresses

223 replies

OTheHugeManatee · 30/04/2015 10:28

Especially older ones. Their mouths don't move properly! It always looks like they're trying to hold in a mouthful of marbles. I think it's all the Botox and it gives me the creeps.

I find it really unfair that male actors are allowed to have foreheads and lips that actually MOVE while the moment women hit 28 or so they're supposed to become increasingly mannequin-like. Often too you see these frozen old-lady-dolls playing great characters and their weird, weird faces just makes me dislike them no matter what. AIBU to be creeped out by it? Should I just accept that this is the way the world is now?

OP posts:
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PerspicaciaTick · 01/05/2015 01:02

The bit that scares me is that, when my DCs grow up, everyone will think that older women are mean to be shiny and rigid and hamstery. Even if they work in the Post Office or school office. Will my future DGCs think there is something terribly wrong with me because I am saggy and wrinkly and smiley?

HellKitty · 01/05/2015 04:31

Most celebs don't seem to just get a little work done, a tidy up here and there, they seem to want to look decades younger which just isn't possible.

With the exception of the TOWIE lot. They're young girls but all look to be in their 30s with the amount of makeup and extensions and straight-out-the-jelly-mould faces.

I'm wondering whether this is why Amanda H is presenting now rather than acting. She'd struggle to find a role as a 40 year old as she doesn't look like a normal 40 year old.

The4Cs · 01/05/2015 04:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Kiwiinkits · 01/05/2015 05:09

Having plastic surgery is a fine way to show the world that you actually hate yourself. So is working in the entertainment industry. So it's not really a surprise that actresses and actors do this.

MythicalChicken · 01/05/2015 07:20

I honestly don't think there is anything wrong with wanting to look better and/or younger. It's kinda unfair the way people who have plastic surgery are ridiculed and treated with such spitefulness. Almost like they're public property and not human beings.

redshoeblueshoe · 01/05/2015 07:54

But Mythical - no one is objecting to people who have work done, but when its done to excess then it does not look good. Seriously - what is the point of an actress who can't show emotions. I'm also curious - why has hardly anyone on tv got jowls ? A few weeks ago on here someone said "you can see Jeremy Clarkson is an alcoholic - he's got jowls" No - he's got jowls because he's 55. So even people I assume have had no work done if they are over 50 I look for jowls.

Floisme · 01/05/2015 07:55

I'm not keen on the ridicule either and I'm uncomfortable with parts of this thread. But I think it's perfectly valid to ask what the hell is going on to make so many women do this to themselves?

AldiQ7 · 01/05/2015 08:32

Has anyone mentioned kylie jenner yet? She is SEVENTEEN! Shock

to think 'omg there's something WRONG with her FACE' when I see so many American actresses
noddyholder · 01/05/2015 08:42

Cindy Jackson looks dreadful.

woodhill · 01/05/2015 08:57

I saw Helen Mcrory in W&H mag, lovely lady but no wrinkles in sight at 46 on photo. presumably air brushed photo but subconsciously makes me of a similar age feel dissatisfied with how I look.

Roussette · 01/05/2015 08:57

Personally, I think Cindy Jackson looks dreadful because her young self and her 'older' self look like 2 different people. If you didn't know better, you would think they were sisters not the same person.

I think there is nothing more alluring than an older woman who exercises, looks after herself, has the unavoidable wrinkles and embraces her age. I certainly wouldn't dream of having anything done (and I'm wrinkly and old!) but I do have regular facials and I work hard at looking after my skin, and regularly exercise. Yes, growing old is shit sometimes but at least I accept it. .

Of course there is nothing wrong with wanting to look better and if looking younger comes because of the exercise and general wellbeing, that's fine.

If you are in the public eye and you have ever increasing surgical procedures, I'm afraid you lay yourself open to comment.

An ex neighbour of mine had a full face lift at 40. She has a younger husband. When I saw her after I couldn't work out what was wrong with her. I can honestly say, I preferred the 'old' her. She didn't look like the person I used to know because her face was shiny and stretched. She used to be so expressive and animated in her face and she'd lost that.

Floisme · 01/05/2015 08:57

Perhaps she'd look better for looking more natural, but maybe she'd just look like an ordinary old woman.
Going back to this (and leaving aside that Meg Ryan's 5 years younger than me Grin) do you not think 'ordinary and old' is actually a much better look than some of this?

likalixer · 01/05/2015 09:02

Kylie Jenner had such a fresh, sweet little face. It made her stand out.
I think (hope) it's just that she trowels the makeup on, maybe trying to get the 'look' that her older sisters have. IMO they all look like carbon copies of each other.
I always thought her face was the most unique looking out of all her sisters.
She should keep it like that.
It would be a shame if she starts having lots of stuff done to it.

Roussette · 01/05/2015 09:09

Why do we have to put the words 'ordinary' and 'old' together. Is Dame Judi Dench an ordinary old woman? Is Jamie Lee Curtis? No, they are unique beautiful older women who are brave enough not to do stupid things to their faces.

likalixer · 01/05/2015 09:13

Roussette, I agree.
But whenever they (publications) show a pic of Jamie Lee Curtis, a LOT of men come out of the woodwork and slag her off something rotten.
Even though she looks amazing. Naturally amazing.
I suppose they want all females to be airbrushed within an inch of their lives and to all look like unlined barbie dolls.

noddyholder · 01/05/2015 09:18

Judi dench has had upper face work Eye lift at least and Botox It is up to the individual no one I know who has had things done looks younger only less knackered I didn't look any younger with Botox I have good skin and look after it but it did erase the tired overnight.

AldiQ7 · 01/05/2015 09:47

Kylie Jenner says that she gets those lips by overlining, yeah right Hmm I do think a lot of her look is make up at the moment, but if she is favouring the blow up doll look so heavily at this age, and given what her mum and sisters are like, I imagine the pressure on her is enormous and she will probably look like a waxwork by the time she is 30 Sad

The thing I don't get is that I cannot think of one female celebrity who has had significant work done to their face and looks better for it, whereas I can think of plent of woman who have avoided it or just gone very light, and still look great.

When these celebs go under the knife do they not think 'oh Christ, I'm just going to end up looking like Joan Rivers if I carry on down this road aren't I, it's really not a good look'? I suppose it's different when you are on the inside and surgeons/film bosses/modelling agencies are telling you that you 'need' this and that. And I guess that when it is done slowly and over time, they probably just don't notice the dramatic change so much. Or maybe it's just that it's all very subjective and they think they look fucking fabulous!

Aussiemum78 · 01/05/2015 09:59

I think Meryl Streep is stunning - possibly she has work done, or maybe not - but she has a few laugh lines around her eyes that make her look so warm and like she is happy.

Some lines give character IMO. I'd keep those and only fill (or even just reduce) the frown lines. Not try pretend I have no lines at all.

Ditto for body shape. Too perfect is not as nice as a little bit squishy and cuddly.

noddyholder · 01/05/2015 10:06

You can have little bits that don't how and still look like you which is why some people fool us like Judi Dench and Meryl etc Full on surgery looks terrible but I don't think the obsession with a smooth face is going to end any time soon unfortunately and scientists are just working flat out as they know the money is in the insecurity

AldiQ7 · 01/05/2015 10:17

But whenever they (publications) show a pic of Jamie Lee Curtis, a LOT of men come out of the woodwork and slag her off something rotten.
Even though she looks amazing. Naturally amazing.
I suppose they want all females to be airbrushed within an inch of their lives and to all look like unlined barbie dolls.

Yes, but it's not just men slagging her off is it? In fact I would say women were worse for that sort of thing - just read some of the Mumsnet threads!

I think a lot of it comes down to plain old money. If a woman walks into a surgeons's office and says 'do you think I should pay you thousands of pounds to get this, this and this done?'the surgeon is hardly going to say 'no sweetheart, you look fine just the way you are', are they?

FeijoaSundae · 01/05/2015 10:20

Meryl is just fab, but I suspect that is because she's actually just one of those rare, genuinely happy/content people, and it's just all all-pervading thing. Her eyes are happy.

She is top of my fantasy dinner party guest list.

stormyboots · 01/05/2015 10:25

I think some celebrities having 'work' done eventually lose perspective as to how they really look, a bit like people who fake tan and just get darker and darker, no longer resembling a sun tan but becoming an odd rusty colour.

These actresses seem to have lost the ability to be objective and i imagine it's not helped by being surrounded by 'yes' men and unscruplous surgeons

suzannecanthecan · 01/05/2015 10:32

?Suspect it may partly be luck with surgery, assuming most celebs are able to afford the best surgeons but we all have different faces and facial tissues arranged slightly differently, the healing process varies and it may be a fine line between a result that looks natural and one that looks unnatural.

Soon we will be able to regenerate tissues with stem cells and everyone who wants to and can afford it will look perpetually 30?

PerspicaciaTick · 01/05/2015 10:37

I think you are right about it being down to a big dollop of luck. I also think that people underestimate the complexity of surgery and the odds of things not working out perfectly. So they have one procedure and it's not quite as good as they like, so they have another, then they need to fix a scar or some loss of tissue so they have a bit more and suddenly they are in a cycle where they are no longer trying to look better, but purely trying to preserve function.

suzannecanthecan · 01/05/2015 10:58

Persp, yes!
I think surgery is in many ways a 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' approach to addressing facial ageing, we will very probably develop less invasive more sophisticated and progressive approaches in the future.

As Noddy pointed out there is a lot of money in it, most people dislike getting older and so there will always be a demand for anti aging treatments.
Also the bar is constantly being raised, as more people opt for cosmetic work those who don't look relatively much older than their peers. ?