Last month (Oct 2014) a rather shocking and unrecognizable photo of Renee Zellweger circulated the headlines that left many people speechless. What had she done to herself? One of the most beautiful women in Hollywood had obviously done something and it had turned out…well…many would say that she was now unrecognizable. I remember standing in line at the store and as I saw her picture I thought who is that? And why is she on the cover? She must be somebody, only to learn it was none other than Renee Zellweger! It saddened me and really got me thinking. What is wrong with aging? Why, as a culture are we SO obsessed with youth? Why can’t we embrace every stage of life and make ourselves the best we can be right then? The bigger question or statement rather is that as these beautiful actresses continue to attempt to hang onto their youth with procedures that often leave them looking so unlike themselves, who will play those roles that show the aging female as a revered, grande dame? There will be very few actresses available.
As a society we need more roles for strong, mature females however if there are so few actresses available to play them…well, it does little in the way of cementing the mature female actress as a viable commodity. I think back to Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn and how they were so much more fabulous in their later years because of how much depth and substance they brought to the table, to the roles they played. And today Susan Sarandon, Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren and Judi Dench. These are incredibly fabulous women and actresses and what makes them memorable and enviable is they are not trying to be young again. They are embracing who they are today, wrinkles and all. More than likely they’ve all had something done but it’s so subtle you can’t really tell, they just look good for their age. And that is the best kind of procedure, the kind where you can’t tell.
It should be stated right up front I am not against plastic surgery and more than likely I will get something done myself in the next few years but it will be so subtle not even my closest friends will be able to tell. I’ll be 54 on my next birthday so this is something I think about, often. And what I think about most is I don’t want to do anything drastic that will change who I see in the mirror. Erasing every line or wrinkle is not the goal, what is the goal is merely obtaining a more refreshed version of myself. This means I will not go under the knife until much later, if ever, but instead opt for the non-invasive procedures only. My personal thought on going under the knife is once you cut you can never go back.
So beyond some non-invasive procedures what can I do about this thing called aging and how can I help myself be the best version of myself today and at every age? Because no matter what I’m getting older and that’s just the way it is but, but, but it doesn’t mean I can’t be a fabulous diva!! I can, I will and I am. Long ago I realized if I wanted the outside to look good and youthful I had to take care of the inside. Here are some of my personal strategies that have slowed down the aging process to a crawl. Some will include websites where you can learn more if you so desire.
• Daily intense exercise
• Eat healthy and light
• Drink lots of water
• 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night
• Bio-identical hormones: http://www.womensinternational.com
• Vitamins: http://www.lef.org
• Little to no alcohol (of course no smoking of anything)
• Take your make-up off and wash and exfoliate your face every night before bed
Every person must address this very personal issue in the way that is best for them. In closing it’s important to research, research and research some more every time you’re thinking of having any kind of procedure done, large or small.
Til next time…Victoria xox