Recently, I was walking in downtown Sedona, Arizona when a lovely, young woman standing in front of a shop smiled and waved at me. I smiled and waved back. As I drew near, she chatted me up. When I started to leave, she said (a little too enthusiastically), “I would LOVE to give you a free, eyebrow lift!”
I told her that ‘unless that eyebrow lift pulls the rest of me up with it, I’m not interested.’ I’d rather do a handstand. I do them every day: against doors, walls and even the fence at the pickleball court. I figure it’s a full body lift–without the scalpel! Besides, cosmetic surgery always looks a bit ‘off.’ You tighten one part and the rest just looks desperate to catch up to it. Plus the risks outweigh the rewards because you can see the mistakes.
Still, the craze not to age is everywhere! Lately, this 30-something man raves online about his ‘Botox injections’. He doesn’t even have a wrinkle on his elbows! Every day my inbox is filled with stupid emails like, “How to take years off your neck!” Look, I don’t want ‘em off my neck. How about starting with my feet? Besides, I worked hard for every, single one of these lines.
What message are we sending the younger generation? ‘Whatever you do don’t smile because it causes wrinkles?” Even boomers are getting more plastic surgeries, including ‘facial fat grafting!’ (Who knew?) You cannot ‘fight’ age. It carries on in spite of you. There’s not a shot, pill or procedure that is ever going to stop 50 from looking like 50. 20 years ago, Oil of Olay promised to make my skin ‘look younger,’ but it has not removed one, single DAY from my face!
In 1980, model Kelly LeBrock became famous for a Pantene commercial in which she said, “Don’t hate me because I’m beautiful.” We need a commercial today that says, “Don’t hate me because I’m adorably worn and wrinkly!” Looking younger does not mean looking better. You can use red light therapy, chew organic kale and do squats till your butt explodes but it won’t keep you young. What will? Doing what you love with people who make you laugh. Meanwhile, I plan to continue looking exactly like myself and doing handstands. You’re welcome to join me!
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