Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Thoughts about growing old gracefully

Last night I purposefully stayed up late to watch David Letterman. NO I am not a Letterman fan. Frankly, I don't find him the least bit funny and do find him a lot repulsive. But he was having Mary Tyler Moore on as a guest. And I DO like Mary Tyler Moore.



The Dick Van Dyke Show first aired in 1961. I was the very impressionable age of 9. I fell in love with Mary Tyler Moore. It wasn't the role she played, Laura Petry, but more the way she was in general. I watched the Dick Van Dyke show faithfully and following that the Mary Tyler Moore Show and the Lou Grant show. It was always fun watching and I continued to admire the woman. No matter what she did, she had class.



She is now 73 and is still a very classy lady. But... why not grow old gracefully? Why!



She walked onto the stage in what I thought was a ridiculous off one shoulder dress with a bunch of beads around her neck. She looked silly to me. She is 73 - not 23! It is obvious that, like so many movie stars, she has had plastic surgery. It isn't working. She now has a plastic face and wrinkling neck. I turned the TV off before the interview was over. I don't remember a word of the interview because I was so distracted by a classy woman who had somehow lost her way.



I hope to grow old gracefully. I color my hair and have for years. I use face creams that promise results they could never deliver. My husband says I should just take stock in lotion. There is a bottle in every room of the house. As the years progress I'll repair what isn't working anymore. I'll eat healthy, diet and exercise. But I won't have plastic surgery. Actually I guess that is a lie. I've already had a cancer imposed boob job, and let me tell you... that AIN'T all it's cracked up to be! That is where the line is drawn. My face tells the story of me. Every worry line has been well earned. The butt crack line between my eyes is there because of the years I frowned over some unhappiness or another. I want to keep every laugh wrinkle around my eyes to remind me of how much fun life is. And if I end up with a double chin after doing the stupid Jack LaLane type face exercises, then I was meant to have a double chin.



Ok, rant done. How about you women out there - will you have plastic surgery? And men - do "enhanced" women look good to you?



I've downloaded two pictures of Mary Tyler Moore. I'd love to see what she really looks like at age 73, becuase this isn't it.




11 comments:

Akum said...

This post is awesome.. I totally agree. We should learn how to age gracefully. Am a 100% anti-plastic dude..We should be happy with what god has blessed us.

Intense Guy said...

I used to think Mary Tyler Moore was really cute - she had that sincere smile when she was younger; instead of the pasted on one she has now. I remember her spinning and throwing her hat into the air and thinking she was someone pretty cool and carefree. The show with Dick Van Dyke was before my time.

I don't find women that had surgery attractive at all - I think its the vanity that is more offputting than any, if any, postive results. Defining yourself to be "your looks" is really shallow and silly.

You are, in the end, what you did and didn't do with your life, not how you look.

Given I'm short and fat, you can call this a form of sour grapes if you want, but doing so won't change how I think.

And every picture, every story, and everything you have done with your life Punkn that show us glimpses of in your blog or elsewhere - shows us that you are a beautiful woman inside and out.

Anonymous said...

The smile on Mary Tyler Moore's face now looks as though it is plastered from ear to ear and not at all natural. I can see women who are in the entertainment field wanting to keep up their looks with a nip here and a tuck there in order to remain working in their field. BUT, at the age of 73 I feel it's time to let things droop here and there a bit so as not to be the laughing stock of your past fans.

Would I? Actually I have been considering having the bags removed from beneath my eyes so as to remove the look of always being tired, but my sagging boobs and all other wrinkles shall remain in tact.

Di
The Blue Ridge Gal
(anyone want to swing me a plastic surgery loan? LOL) Hmmm, I didn't think so.

Karla said...

Lord! She use to be a beautiful woman! Now she's ...emm well not very classy at all! what kind of smile is that? Painted on?

No I would never have plastic surgery. I am what I am. and as you Punkn I have earned every line, wrinkle and gray hair I have (yes I do on occasion color my hair because my hair is like brown, red and gray and looks yukky without color LOL) I would think about a breast reduction only if it would help my back pain. But the sagging skin, the lines and wrinkles they are part of who I am and the life I have lived. Iggy your not a sour grape. You are sweet and kind and loving. and I agree with what you said about Punkn. She is one of the best people I have ever known and am proud to have known her and called her friend.

Toriz said...

I don't think people should get plastic surgery. I don't think people should use anti-wrinkle creams and such. I don't think people should try and hide their grey hair under hair dyes. And, I don't think people in their 50s and older should dress like people in their 20s.

People were happy enough to grow old gracefully before all the make-up, hair dye and plastic surgery were around. They should still be happy to do so.

ChicagoLady said...

I am quickly approaching 40 and have until now never considered doing anything to change/improve my appearance. As with you, I've earned every wrinkle and every gray hair.

However, I have just recently decided that I will get my hair colored next month, sort of as a birthday rebellion present. Nothing drastic, just something to cover up the gray hairs.

My aunt, for years, would get a facelift to keep her from showing her age. She was still working, and felt it was important to look her best. Now that she's retired, she's stopped coloring her hair, and she doesn't get facelifts anymore. She never made drastic changes, like Mary Tyler Moore did, she still looks like herself, and doesn't look "plastic".

I personally will never be able to afford plastic surgery, even if I wanted it, but if I had plans of changing anything I would have done it years ago when I was about 20, when it could have made a more dramatic change in the direction my life went.

I'm glad you are growing old gracefully. I wish more women would accept themselves as they are, and embrace the changes and affects of aging.

AliceKay said...

I can remember seeing Mary Tyler Moore on either an entertainment show or talk show a couple of years ago and couldn't believe my eyes. She used to be a beautiful, genuine woman. She isn't anymore. She kinda reminds me of the Joker character in the Batman movies.

No plastic surgery for me. You know me...I don't like being around any kind of doctor these days.

rebel said...

I'm like you, I always thought Mary was a very classy lady, and like you I lose a lot of respect when I see that their vanity wins out and they are unable or afraid to grow old gracefully. I was talkin' to my sister one day about some actress that was older and obviously, she had been under the knife. I went on to say how I had lost a lot of respect for her and my sister said that bein' in the profession they are in, if they don't look the best they can, they don't work. I hadn't really thought about it that way. I don't know if Mary needs to work at her age or not but it makes me feel a little better about her.

LadyStyx said...

The only thing I'm vain about is my hair. Ok, so, my face doesnt pass for nearly 40 yet so I feel my hair shouldnt be betraying my age! It's bad enough the age spots have begun to show up.

Personally, there are only 2 ways I'd even consider plastic surgery.

01) If I was in a horrific accident and it was the ONLY way to look even close to normal again.

02) If my health absolutely required it.

I've never corrected anything that was imperfect (hello D and double D), nor ever covered up that humongous 2.5" in diameter scar on the back of my leg (thanks to a case of cellulitis). I am who I am.

As for stars that look simply horrid after "work" was done...there's scores and scores. The one that I find the most frightening is Joan Rivers. She used to be very beautiful and now all she needs is the right makeup job and she'll look like Jack Nicholson's Joker's twin sister.

Intense Guy said...

Almost makes you want to stick to looking at ankles... I'm just sayin'...

Anonymous said...

Two things I would like to have done... 1st is upper eyelids. They droop and make me look tired all the time. (maybe I really am).Sometimes they can get so bad that they will interfere with a persons vision. 2nd is raising the boobs up to where they are supposed to be, not so much a vanity thing, but more that I don't like the sweating and chaffing thing. But I definately can't see smoothing out all the wrinkles.