Blood Facials & 10 Women Who Age Gracefully

Why aren’t women allowed to age gracefully and naturally? I’m sick of it. Those who don’t opt for major plastic surgery are punished by the media. They’re plastered in magazine photo spreads with titles like, “YIKES!!” and “SHOULD HAVE WORN SUNSCREEN” and “WHEN DID ____ GET SO OLD???”

They look fine. The problem is that compared to the women who feel the need to get excessive surgery, the ones who don’t are penalized for looking “old”. And the ones who get too much surgery are penalized for looking “plastic” so sometimes no one wins.

JC Coccoli posted a wonderful article, “How Far Would You Go For Beauty?”that points out some of the more extreme things that famous Hollywood actresses have done in the sake of beauty. Here’s a new one. Have you heard of the “Vampire Facial”? If you’re squeamish about blood, skip ahead.

If you want to see what this looks like — again, not a good thing to see if you’re squeamish — click here.

I want to talk about the women who are, to use the choice phrase, “aging gracefully.” DISCLAIMER. I shouldn’t have to even put a disclaimer, but this can be a sensitive topic, so DISCLAIMER: I don’t shun or judge anyone who chooses to undergo plastic surgery, or any form of it (like Botox). Because it’s their bodies, and their decisions about their bodies are theirs and no one else’s. If someone is going to do it, it’s their choice, it’s their face. But. Yes, there’s a but. I wish that we could all make the simultaneous decision to not do this anymore. The problem with plastic surgery in Hollywood is that if everyone is doing it, and one person doesn’t, they’re the outcast. So here are some of my favorite outcasts.

Meryl Streep, 63

Oh my God, she has WRINKLES around her EYES, someone TELL HER!!!! And around her MOUTH, too!!! It’s like she spends her days MOVING HER FACE INTO DIFFERENT EXPRESSIONS!!!

Sharon Stone, 55

Has Sharon Stone ever had Botox or some kind of filler? I don’t know, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she had at some point in her entire life. But when I see photos of her now, I see a woman who knows that she can look good without having to smooth every line in her face.

Bjork, 47

The cool thing about Bjork is no matter how much you like or hate her style, she’s going to rock it until she’s 90, and she doesn’t care if you don’t like it. She won’t ever hide behind plastic surgery. Unless it’s something like putting a unicorn horn in her head. I could see that happening.

Catherine Deneuve, 69

On beauty, this legendary quote (or some variation of it) has been attributed to French Actress Catherine Deneuve: “At a certain age, you have to choose between your face and your ass.” I don’t know what she chose because she looks good from top to bottom. Is she as thin and svelte as she was when she was 20? No. And why the hell should she be?

Artist Marina Abramović, 66

Marina Abramović is a legendary performance artist. Give her a Google if you’re unfamiliar with her or her work. Granted, she’s had her own struggles with body issues. After her ex married a woman in her 20s, Abramović felt miserable and admitted to getting breast implants. But she’s never tried to look younger than she is, though she’s gifted with genes that make her look at least 10 years younger than her age. Her body of work and not her body is what she values above all.

Susan Sarandon, 66

The quintessential example of an actress who has no problem aging naturally.

Kate Winslet, 37

Chill out, by including the lovely Kate Winslet in this list, I am not saying that she is old. In fact, I thought I should throw in someone a little younger in this list. Winslet makes me feel like being in your 30s could be awesome. That combined with her stance on the importance of having a positive body image gives me hope for all of us.

Vanessa Williams, 49

Love her. Loved how on Desperate Housewives she played a character who made no apologies for dating men of all ages. And even in the episode where she felt old because her ex husband started dating a younger woman, she snapped out of her moping and realized screw it, I’m awesome.

Mariska Hargitay, 49

Mariska has never been one to hide from wrinkles. And she plays one of the most badass female characters on television (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.) And she once said, “Some days having that extra bowl of pasta and a Reese’s peanut butter cup means more to me than being thin.” And that makes me happy.

Maria Bello, 45

She’s always been a champion for women being comfortable in their ages. I interviewed her once and she wasn’t wearing any makeup and she looked freakin’ beautiful. She said, to paraphrase, that actresses in their 40s need to stop trying to be actresses in their 20s because it’s not benefiting anyone. She’s a firm believer that life for women doesn’t end at 40.

I’m afraid of aging. But you either age or you die. You can’t get younger. Let’s get some more women like these in starring roles, and on magazine covers. And without the excessive Photoshop. Though that’s a whole other story.

Featured image via shutterstock

Additional images via here, here, here, here, here and here.