BellaSugar talks about Madonna’s comments last night on Nightline regarding aging.  She said, “I don’t think we just live in a sexist society, we live in an ageist society, connected to women.  I think women in an unconscious way are valued for their youth, youthful beauty, not so much for their wisdom and experience.”  See the rest of her comments here.  At 27, I hardly feel over the hill, and yet even I can sometimes feel a bit old compared to my early-twentysomething counterparts in the land of La.  It’s more exaggerated here in Hollyweird, of course, but when one of the biggest stars in the country is 15 year old Miley Cyrus, how can girls in their late twenties and thirties (who are beginning to–gasp!–show wrinkles!) compete?

The old guard — 80’s sex symbols Madonna and Sharon Stone in Cannes:

And the new — tweenage powerhouse Miley Cyrus

I love this: a blog dedicated to promoting positive body image and self-esteem among women, called 5 Resolutions to Transform the Beauty and Fashion Industries.  What are they?  “Educate Ourselves.  Educate Our Audience.  Take Responsibility.  Take Action.  Stay Connected.”

As a blogger who writes about beauty and celebrities and all that’s shiny and pretty and ooh! but who also supports movements promoting self-esteem and realism in the beauty and fashion industries, I often try to pinpoint where and when I’m being hypocritical…and I’ll be honest, I get tripped up.  I agree wholeheartedly with the Jezebel-led movement to stop bashing women over their looks…but to stop addressing looks altogether?  That’s where I run into an ehhh grey area of discomfort.  Does that mean I can’t comment on celebrity A looking especially squinty because of too much ill-placed Botox?  Shouldn’t suggest ways that celebrity B could make her hair look sleeker by using a certain anti-frizz product?  Must never speculate about what areas of her body MegaStar has had “done”?  Or even (horror of horrors!) need to stop checking out pop star makeup and hair pictures all together?  I mean, really, it’s all shallow, but is the goal to get us to stop noticing looks, period (never gonna happen), or to be kinder, more tolerant, and more realistic in the way we approach female beauty?  I think it’s the latter–my view has always been that there’s nothing wrong with trying to look your best in an image-conscious society.  Learning how to properly apply makeup and make the most of your hair is simply survival of the fittest, especially when you have news reports suggesting that prettier people get hired more easily, and that even babies prefer photos of more attractive, symmetrical faces.

In reality, I just don’t actually have an answer.  It’s something I think about all the time, I can tell you that.  I’m a lot kinder and gentler than I was in my early days of blogging, when I took pleasure in snarking on Tom Cruise, Sienna Miller, Britney Spears and company.  Nowadays, I try not to say anything about a celebrity that I couldn’t say to their face—or that I wouldn’t say to my best friend.  (”I love you, but please allow me to introduce you to mascara.  Kisses!”)  There’s enough negativity in this world—with a lot of the vitriol inexplicably spewing from fellow bloggers—and Jolie believes in peace, love and lip gloss, not schadenfreude.

Something about these fawning “How I Got My Body Back!” cover stories that celebrity weeklies love featuring makes me feel all icky inside.  How did you get your body back, new celebrity mommy?  Well, you probably worked out with a trainer three hours a day, six days a week, hired a nanny while at the gym, followed a sparse plan set by a nutritionist, perhaps had a tummy tuck and then ate 900 calories in the two days before your photo shoot.  That’s how you got your body back. 

Photo from USmagazine.com

Whitney Thompson was crowned America’s Next Top Model last night, becoming its first “plus-sized” (please, eyeroll!) model winner.  Did you watch?  What do you think of Whit beating Anya?  And is there any truth to the controversy that Whitney was handpicked to win by the producers?  I think Whitney’s stunning and I actually liked her, despite the demented beauty queen vibe, but I am not feeling the Seventeen cover below at ALL.  Is it just me, or does she look way over-airbrushed?  I find it hard to believe this was genuinely the best image of her.

Photo from Usmagazine.com

Dove is releasing a statement tomorrow on the recent airbrushing controversy behind their “Real Beauty” campaign ads.  (You can find the backstory here and here, but in a nutshell, Pascal Dangin, one of the photographers employed by Annie Leibovitz, who shot the ads, is claiming that they were retouched.)  As luck would have it, I’ve been invited to sit at Dove’s table tomorrow when the Dove Self-Esteem Fund is being honored by the Step Up Women’s Network at their annual Inspiration Awards luncheon. Their publicist just released the statement to me in advance, which I’ll reprint in full:

Statement from Dove about The New Yorker Article

9 May 2008, 4:45pm

Dove’s mission is to make more women feel beautiful every day by widening the definition of beauty and inspiring them to take great care of themselves. Dove strives to portray women by accurately depicting their shape, size, skin color and age.

The “real women” ad referenced in recent media coverage was created and produced entirely by Ogilvy, the Dove brand’s advertising agency, from start to finish and the women’s bodies were not digitally altered.

Pascal Dangin worked with photographer Annie Leibovitz (Ogilvy has never employed Mr. Dangin on the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty), who did the photography for the launch of the Dove ProAge campaign, a new campaign within the Campaign for Real Beauty. There was an understanding between Dove and Ms. Leibovitz that the photos would not be retouched - the only actions taken were the removal of dust from the film and minor color correction.

“Let’s be perfectly clear - Pascal does all kinds of work - but he is primarily a printer - and only does retouching when asked to. The idea for Dove was very clear at the beginning. There was to be NO retouching and there was not,” confirmed Annie Leibovitz, commenting on the ProAgecampaign.

Mr. Dangin responded, “The recent article published by The New Yorker incorrectly implies that I retouched the images in connection with the Dove “real women” ad. I only worked on the Dove ProAge campaign taken by Annie Leibovitz and was directed only to remove dust and do color correction - both the integrity of the photographs and the women’s natural beauty were maintained.”

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I was at the press event in Carefree, Arizona years ago when the Campaign For Real Beauty was launched.  I don’t know what actually went on behind the scenes, and I think it’s a bit naive to assume some itchy-fingered photoshopper didn’t indulge himself, even a tiny bit.  Does that dilute the love-your-body, we-are-all-beautiful-no-matter-what-sized-package-we-come-in message of the campaign, however?  I don’t think so—but maybe I’m biased.  What do you think? 

Q: How young is too young for Botox?  I think I need it, but I don’t want to look frozen.  I’m scared of looking like a wax mummy!

I hear this question on a weekly basis, but as a beauty girl living in LA, I think I’m a little biased.  (This is much to D.’s dismay, who clucks like I chicken when I come home after a fresh batch of treatments every six months or so.  She says, ”Be natural!” I say, “…and embrace the angry frown-line between my brows?  Mais, non!”  For a better perspective, I put the Botox Q to my docs at Profiles Beverly Hills, Dr. Jason Litner and Dr. Peyman Solieman.  This week, Dr. Litner takes it:

“We are so glad to hear you say that! In Hollywood, looking like a wax mummy is bordering on perfectly acceptable these days. But–at least in our opinions–these blank stares are giving Botox a bad rap. Remember that Botox is a tool, and that same tool can be used to make delicate refinements…or to turn your face to stone. It’s all about how much is used and where it is placed.

Injecting Botox is not rocket science. That’s why you can find someone to inject Botox on practically every street corner. But there’s an art to consistently (and safely) creating a natural un-frozen appearance that just makes you look and feel better. To achieve the look you want with finesse, you should see an experienced injector. Be honest with what you want…all too often patients come in saying they don’t want to be frozen only to complain a week later that they can still move their forehead.More and more women and men are seeking Botox and other non-surgical treatments at an earlier age. Most patients begin in their early 30’s. We occasionally see an actress in her 20’s who is trying to look younger for a particular role. Some patients also have hereditary early aging or a stubborn frown line that may benefit from Botox at a slightly younger age.   (Note: like Jolie!)

There is also a lot of mythology surrounding Botox. You will not get addicted, though you may really like the look. Your wrinkles will not be worse than ever after it wears off…if anything, Botox can help prevent new and worsening wrinkles if you are fairly good about keeping up with it. If you think you need it, at whatever age, please be sure the doctor you discuss it with is experienced.” (So no Botox at the mall, please!)

I was first exposed to cosmetic surgery at the tender age of seven.  I come from a close-knit family, so when one of my relatives had rhinoplasty, several members of the Jolie clan piled into the car for the two-hour drive to LA, all eager to provide moral support.  We dropped E. off at the clinic, chilled, and returned three hours later.  I expected to see her emerge a vision: glowing, regal, perhaps wearing a tiara, definitely in full makeup.  (What do you want from me? I was only seven!)  So not the case—she was carted out in a wheelchair, bandaged, bleary-eyed and drooling.  At the sight of her, I promptly passed out, and a few minutes later the two of us were wheeled to the car.

Despite that dubious introduction to the world of cosmetic enhancements (not to mention the daily West Hollywood weirdness that stems from seeing women whose age could quite literally be anywhere between thirty and seventy…it’s just too hard to tell!), I recently started working with two facial plastic surgeons, Dr. Jason Litner and Dr. Peyman Solieman, something that initially caused all my friends and family to wrinkle their not-always-God-given noses in perplexion.  “But…but…you hate cosmetic surgery!” went the general refrain.  “You change the channel when Nip/Tuck is on!  Knives and needles make you sick!  You once fainted while reading an article about liposuction!” (Indeed, I did.  Thanks for not letting me live that one down.)  I’m a champion of positive body image, but the fact remains that cosmetic procedures are sharply on the rise, they’re not going away, and if you (or your mom, or her coworker) and going to “get a little work done,” I want everybody to be educated about it.

The more I’ve learned, the more horrified I am.  Not at peoples’ desire to objectively improve themselves—that’s their business, and I try not to be judgmental about others’ choices in their appearance.  (I’ve seen firsthand the wonders that can come from somebody with healthy self-esteem tweaking–and then getting over–a singular aspect of their appearance that always bugged.)  What does make me furious, however, are the proliferation of unethical, money-grubbing, unsafe practices; procedures that are blasted through the airwaves on infomercials and on the radio touting this “lifestyle” nip or that “lunchtime” tuck.  Believe it or not, any doctor can perform cosmetic surgery…which often (and nowadays I do mean often) results in gynecologists performing liposuction, dentists administering botox, and surgeons who have done thousands of breasts deciding to “branch out” into rhinoplasty.  Seduced by the desire to look their best, people forget that cosmetic surgery is still surgery.  There are risks, you’re probably going to be under anesthesia (which can easily result in complications), and if you don’t go to a skilled doctor, your first surgery may not be your last.  In the case of breast implants, your first surgery will definitely not be your last; not only are implants warrantied for about 10 years, but capsular contracture (the hardening of breast tissue around the implant) is essentially the rule, not the exception.

I’ve learned quite a bit recently about cosmetic surgery and enhancements, but I figure you’d all like the insider scoop straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak.  Next week, I’ll start posting Q&As with my doctors giving the real dirt on things like Botox, fillers and catchphrase procedures like Injection Rhinoplasty and the Lifestyle Life.  And so when your aunt starts trilling about that infomercial she saw on “This amazing new procedure that only takes fifteen minutes and makes you look ten years younger and doesn’t even hurt and lets you go right back to work afterwards!”, you’ll be able to gently but firmly explain to her why it’s all total crap.

Crazy McAdams in Argentina argues that pretty people should be required to pay a beauty tax.  Why?  He says, “Good looking people have an unfair advantage.  It’s easier for them to find jobs; they’re paid more and find partners more easily.  In a true democracy, beautiful and ugly people should be given equal opportunities.  So I think we should tax the beautiful, a kind of compensation for the ugly ducklings.”  In related news, I think I should get tax benefits for sucking at math, for being saddled with chubalicious thighs from birth, and for not being blessed with Mariah Carey’s eight-octave range.  It’s just not fair!