V23|NO31
Fountain of Youth
Should I be worried about getting older? The Girl says yes.
This morning, while watching the Olympics, we saw a commercial for wrinkle repair cream. “Mama, you should get that!” The Girl exclaimed with a smile. I asked her why, and she looked a little embarrassed but said, “Because you need it, that’s all!” Ouch. Don’t get me wrong. I own such products. I use such products. I don’t want anyone telling me I need them. I’m sure that most women my age think about wrinkles, and all have started thinking about aging (right?). I admittedly color my hair. I’m not ready to be gray. Covering it has become more of a challenge; I have to go visit Mary’s chair more often to keep it at bay. That’s pretty much where I draw the line for me, though. For now. I wear a little makeup, and I like shopping just fine. I like watches and perfume, and I don’t mind having extra money to spend on clothes. I’m not overly concerned with it all. Well, I wasn’t, and maybe I’m still not. I used to always get the “you look so young for your age!” or “you look great! I can’t believe you’ve had two kids!” Of course I need to exercise more and could add a few more vegetables to my diet, but does that help wrinkles? The man hasn’t gotten any wrinkles yet. I now hear, “Gosh, your husband is such a baby! He looks so young!” He got carded by the girl at the liquor store at the beach, and the girl was surprised to find out his real age. He’s 34. I’m older by four months. (Does that make me a cougar?) Facials, creams and electrode promises have been around forever, but the newest thing is Botox. Oh, I know it’s not a recent development. I watch The Real Housewives shows. At 35, it’s rather new to me. Or newly interesting, rather. I’m not saying I’d do it, and I’m also not sure I wouldn’t. There are so many whose faces are completely paralyzed, seemingly caught in a state of serious surprise. Sure they don’t have any wrinkles, but I don’t think they look younger. They look old gone wrong. If done right, Botox actually does make a noticeable-but-not-in-a-plasticky-way difference. I’ve seen it. There are so many things that we can improve with the help of pills, surgeries, simple injections and bottles of hair dye. There’s a foggy area between normal upkeep and going overboard.
36 METROSPIRITAUGUSTA’S INDEPENDENT VOICE SINCE 1989
JENNYWRIGHT lives in Summerville with her husband, who she calls The Man, and two kids, who she affectionately calls The Boy and The Girl. She enjoys taking photos, cooking and playing tennis.
You’d be surprised at how many people have had their boobs done and who do Botox on a regular basis. I’d never rat them out, because half the time I don’t know for sure, and rarely do I even care. It’s their business. I do find it humorous and a little sad when someone does too much. Back in the olden days (you know what I mean, right?), were women content with aging, or did they long for an invention that made them look younger? There are early accounts of plastic surgery, but the procedures were usually performed because of a deformity or injury. Still today, that is a large part of what cosmetic surgery is all about. No one will argue with those cases. But are saggy boobs a deformity? What about wrinkles? To some, I’m sure it feels as if they are. To others, they lift, separate and fill because they can afford to. To the rest, a certain confidence is restored. Do those with money have an unfair advantage? They’re able to look younger than their poorer counterparts. If a new wrinkle pops up, just buy a few more units of Botox, right? I’m not sure where I stand on all of this. For the friends who’ve had work done and do Botox regularly, not a single judgment is being passed. I’m just trying to figure it all out. As of today, I’m mostly happy with the way I look. I don’t like sitting in the salon chair for too long or returning clothes that don’t fit. How on earth would I sit still for extracurricular beauty treatments? I had a keratin straightening treatment done on my hair. It’s absolutely not my style to do such things, but the convenience it offers is great. For about two hours in the salon chair, I haven’t blow-dried my hair but about five times in over two months. It may seem shallow, but my time is worth something. What, besides perky boobs, do breast implants have to offer me? Oh, I know they’ll look better, but will I save time in any way? I’m invited to a Botox party tomorrow night. I’m not planning on being injected, but the host is serving wine. I’m thinking of it as a learning experience — with wine. Wine makes learning fun. As for The Girl and her product suggestions, I appreciate the help from my little angel. I’m happy to give her advice as well. If she keeps this up, the only suggestion I’ll give will be, “Get a job.”
2AUGUST2012