When the coronavirus pandemic shuttered salons in 2020, many people utilized the lockdowns to rediscover their natural colour and texture after years of time-consuming and costly trips to the hairdresser. We witnessed a swell of older adults embracing positivity with their silver locks, and worrying less about fitting into society’s narrow definition of beauty.
Young people have been leading the way on social media for greater acceptance and celebration of natural and distinctive body and facial features, even going so far as to reverse plastic surgeries to return to a more natural appearance.
Body positivity, embraced by the fashion industry is now spilling over into face positivity – and it’s about time that a face frozen with botox and plumped up with fillers is no longer equated with the idea of aging gracefully. Younger and older generations, taking a step away from consumerism to pursue more meaningful endeavours, have also developed something of a disdain for highly curated, filtered and inauthentic messages or images.
According to a recent Elle magazine article, many celebrities have gone public about their plastic surgery regrets, including actor and activist Jane Fonda who recently told Vogue she’s “not proud” she had a facelift and didn’t have further work done to avoid looking distorted. At 85 Fonda focuses on getting enough sleep, moving, staying out of the sun, and enjoying the company of good friends that keep her laughing.
Melissa Gilbert – former child actor of Little House on the Prairie fame, has had her nose adjusted and multiple breast implant surgeries. Now, at 58, she has removed the implants, stopped using botox and fillers, and no longer dyes her hair. Her newest memoir, Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered, details her pandemic journey from the celebrity spotlight to a life occupied by gardening, raising chickens and renovating a rustic cabin in the Catskills with her husband.
Because of ever-changing fashion and media trends, it’s important to be wary of hastily undergoing any cosmetic procedure. Once altered, it isn’t always easy or even possible to change back, and a nose job, butt lift, or eye procedure is never guaranteed to boost self-confidence or even turn out as expected. Research shows that a positive attitude about aging, however, can contribute to a longer and healthier life with a lower risk for chronic illness, a greater sense of purpose, and increased satisfaction with life.
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