Why did you, at sixty-years-old, put on that sexy blue bathing suit and pose for the cover of People Magazine, and then let the publishers Photoshop the hell out of your picture? Do you really expect us to believe that a woman who, in some restaurants, is eligible for the senior discount, (and claims to have never had plastic surgery) doesn't have a sag in her skin, a broken vein in her legs, or the slightest pooch in her stomach? Don't you know the frustration you've caused every women over forty who has no chance of looking like you do, at sixty? Perfectly normal, lovely, middle-aged women standing in check-out lines at grocery stores all over the world, gazing at that cover photo of you, with nothing but rice cakes and celery in their carts, because they actually believe that in order to be attractive and worthy they must be thin and youthful. You are a beloved celebrity, an icon. Women have always admired your wholesome good looks and girl next door quality. Our hearts went out to you when your younger husband left you. And this is what you give us in return? Shame on you, Christie Brinkley! Yes, you look amazing for your age, but you are so not the face of sixty--what we should "aspire to look like" at that age--nor should you be. It's unrealistic, unfair, and just plain bull crap.
What's worse is People Magazine tried to pull the bogus photo off as a celebration of aging. If they truly wanted to celebrate aging they would have published an unretouched cover of a woman who has aged like the average sixty year old, and still enjoys a healthy, active, and productive lifestyle, sending out the message that it's possible to have a wrinkle here and there and still be happy. That it's okay for women to grow old, look their age, and still be beautiful and valued. But that won't happen any time soon. Old doesn't sell magazines, because it isn't pretty in the eyes of a shallow society that has cruelly defined a woman's worth by her appearance.
I totally agree!
ReplyDeleteI think it's sad. She doesn't look like the woman in those photos and commercials. Every year the photos are more airbrushed and obscure. Her latest commercial , you can barely make out her nose !
ReplyDeleteHow hopeless it must feel to portray something she herself cannot obtain.
Excellent commentary, Leigh!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, a hypnotherapist and life coach living on the west coast, has a knack for meeting famous people, like Kelsey Grammer, the actor who played Frasier. Somehow she became friends with a soap opera actor who lives in Beverly Hills. My daughter and I spent about a week and a half visiting in his home two years ago.
It was a heady experience for me, because my husband and I live like the Beverly Hillbillies did - before they struck oil. My wardrobe is so poor, I told my daughter she should allow me to pose as her maid, although she wouldn't hear of it, lol.
At first, I was very nervous about being so far out of my comfort zone. But I soon relaxed, because during our ten days of walking Rodeo Drive, dining out, browsing the shops, and traipsing through the sand on nearby Venice Beach, we did not see one single solitary person, male or female, who looked anything like the made up, airbrushed images.
We did see a lot of homeless people, though. Sad, how different the reality is from the glamour that is portrayed in the media.