> Beauty

Sampling the Fountain of Youth
by author Jenn Farrell

I caught the end of a stand-up comedian�s routine the other night while channel surfing. He joked that plastic surgery �makes you look young in the same way that a drag queen looks like a woman. There�s just something a little off��

Looking a little off doesn�t seem to be dissuading many people; in fact, the number of cosmetic procedures performed climbs every year. While the scalpel used to be the tool of choice, the development of somewhat less invasive options and a boom in clinics has made the whole idea of lifting what�s drooping or filling what�s wrinkled seem almost normal, even for the relatively young.

Leading the charge in cosmetic procedures, of course, are Hollywood celebrities, whose careers rely on forever looking young and gorgeous. Is it any wonder we mere mortals get confused about what 40 or 50 or 60 is supposed to look like? We can all name a couple of movie stars who don�t seem to have aged a day in the past 20 years thanks to some judicious intervention. And then there are those who�ve done too much, too soon�the ones who look like waxwork versions of themselves. They don�t really look any younger�just frozen, pinched, and a little desperate.

I�d like to imagine that I�m too smart to be swayed by those red-carpet photos or the anti-aging creme ads that show a woman who doesn�t appear to have aged her way out of puberty. But then I�m putting on my lipstick in the mirror, and I start remembering what my face looked like a decade ago � The other day I pinched the skin under my eye while removing a stray lash and was horrified at how long it took that little gathering of flesh to bounce back into shape.

But even if �getting work done� would improve my appearance, I know I won�t go for it. I�m not sure what scares me more�looking so different that I don�t recognize myself or spending thousands on something so subtle that no one notices. Besides, then I�d have to keep doing it, and that�s beyond the scope of my vanity�and my wallet.

No matter what we do, or how long we do it, eventually time is going to catch up. Getting older changes how we look, like it or not. And what�s so bad about that? I think some decent trades can be made: youth for wisdom, tight skin for a quick wit, perky boobs for adorable grandkids. We should be grabbing the benefits that come with age, not blindly following a culture that devalues anyone who�s decided to keep a few grey hairs.

I�d like to go back to the time when the word �makeover� meant a good haircut and a new dress. Last time I checked, plastic surgeons had yet to figure out a way to put a twinkle in our eyes and a spring in our step�and that�s the mark of a youthful spirit.

Jenn Farrell is a Vancouver writer who believes forehead wrinkles are a signof intelligence.

Source: alive #312, October 2008