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What Are Your Thoughts On Aging in Hollywood?

Tue, 10/30/2007 - 12:10pm by bellasugar
8,151 Views - 50 comments

Call me old-fashioned, but when I saw these pictures of Nicole Kidman at the ARIA Awards, I got a little bit sad. Yes, she is gorgeous, but there's something about her that looks, I don't know — forced, I guess. The hair is uber-blond, especially at the roots, and her skin appears crease-less and line-less.

Nicole is 40 years old, but why does her skin still look 25? Is it me, or has Hollywood put so much emphasis on stopping the clock that someone as naturally stunning as Nicole Kidman now looks younger than she did in her early career? What are your thoughts on this?

Source

View Photos: Nicole Kidman

50 Comments Add a Comment

  • Lovely_1's picture
    Lovely_1
    1

    It's not like they are ebign FORCED to make themselves look younger. In the end, it is still their choice. If they are insecure and feel the need to copy everyone and make themselves fake, they can. I'm not saying it's bad, and I'm not saying it's good.

    49 weeks 2 hours ago Report Comment
  • Ava Gardner's picture
    Ava Gardner
    2

    It's a toughie, I've been colouring my hair since I went prematurely grey at 26, I have my roots done every 15 days - weep for me! Of course it's my choice, no one is forcing me as Aschwebb says, but my roots are as white as the pic above and on a brunette that looks too too Cruella DE Ville meets Morticia.

    I really think it's down to the individual, Nicole looks vastly different from how she used to look, I think she's gorgeous now but it's a very mainstream manufactured look.

    As to the whole botox and filler debate, I think that as long as it's not overdone then it's just a modern day extension of an old fashioned beauty regime.

    Of course, taking it to the Jocelyne Wildenstein is a whole other can o worms or should that be Whiskas?

    49 weeks 2 hours ago Report Comment
  • nikodarling's picture
    nikodarling
    3

    There is nothing wrong with wanting to look your best, but it is sad that we keep pushing this idea that a 40 year old woman should look 25. No they are not being "FORCED" to do this, but it is alot more difficult for them to get magazine covers, endorsements, or roles if they do not.

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • Amity A's picture
    Amity A
    4

    Well, asch, I think the issue here is that they HAVE to look young to get work in Hollywood. When you have worked hard enough to get to be say, a Nicole Kidman, and the only thing hindering you from getting roles you have skills and experience for is your your body/ face... I think it would be hard not to get "work done." There just aren't that many roles out there for older looking women.

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • Seraphim's picture
    Seraphim
    5

    i'm all for creams and serums that help improve the texture/appearance of your skin,.. i do however draw the line at scalpel's...

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • grrlyrebel's picture
    grrlyrebel
    6

    Of course it's a lady's decision as to whether she wants to reverse natural aging, but I have to admit that it is sort of sad to see it go overboard....like these women who get so much collagen that their lips look like flotation devices.

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • SummerBaby's picture
    SummerBaby
    7

    not even sure what to say on this subject.. it feels like a touchy one

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • aimeeb's picture
    aimeeb
    8

    I'm all for it, if it's done in a modest and realistic sense.

    I mean people like Joan Rivers think the more they get that they'll somehow be able to beat father time-you can't and won't.

    I think people need to be realistic of what actually needs a little boost vs. just nipping and tucking everything. Some things are just fine and people should leave them be!!

    I'm 25, had lip injections and my mother is 53 and had a face lift, her eyes done and fillers, but in all honesty you see a difference and it looks natural. If I ever start to have thethooded eye look our family is notorious for later in life I'll be getting it taken care of!!

    I think living in the limelight like that, having new YOUNG up and coming actresses really puts the pressure on people like Nicole Kidman to try and keep the appeal and look of youth going...

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • Lovely_1's picture
    Lovely_1
    9

    It's still their choice though. They knew that being in that business would insts upon them being permently young, and if they want to continue working, then they have to follow the rules I guess...just liek we all have to at our jobs.

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • kersalli's picture
    kersalli
    10

    While I'm all for the myriad of miracle serums/creams/vitamins/etc., I don't agree with the surgery and/or botox. Who are they fooling? Whether you look your age or not, you're still your age and there is nothing you can do about it.

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • Jinx's picture
    Jinx
    11

    There is definately more pressure on the women than the men too.
    I think that bugs me more than anything. They are under so much pressure to look good.

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • Lala77's picture
    Lala77
    12

    The human vanity is such a undefeatable force. I'm going with no judgement here, it's your body so do whatever you want with it Smiling

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • steen's picture
    steen
    13

    While I think it's important to take care of yourself and maybe get a little help every now and then, you'll see actresses so worked over that it's kind of eerie. But there will always be someone "younger and prettier".

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • flutterpie's picture
    flutterpie
    14

    and if she had wrinkles everyone would say oh my god she looks so old, the whole thing is unhealthy for the actresses and for society. aging is a natural process but until we as a viewing public accepts it than hollywood wont

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • 1love's picture
    1love
    15

    I'm for things that help reduce line and things like that. I'm not cool with surgerys and things that extreme. But in the end it is their body, their decision........ pressure or not!

    49 weeks 1 hour ago Report Comment
  • emalove's picture
    emalove
    16

    Of course it's partly the pressures of Hollywood and her career. And most women don't want to look like their aging. I don't know any women who just accept it and don't put any effort into stopping the clock (or at least slowing it down).

    I personally would probably never have a facelift or anything of that sort...it's just not me. But Botox, sure, that may happen someday. And I certainly use the wrinkle creams and serums.

    I guess it's whatever makes you happy and pleased with yourself...when you look good, you feel good, right??

    49 weeks 54 min ago Report Comment
  • krampalicious's picture
    krampalicious
    17

    even with all that plastic surgery, it's still exceptionally difficult for a woman over 40 to get any gigs at all.

    just ask demi moore. i'm pretty sure she spent $40,000 on plastic enhancement and she's still complaining that no one will hire her. (maybe it's TALENT that really matters, demi. just ask meryl streep and helen mirren--they are wonderfully, beautifully wrinkled and working like whoa.)

    the whole anti-aging thing is just ridiculous. i personally would never get plastic surgery unless it was to suck some fat from my bum. but whatever, man, if it makes you feel better about yourself, then i'm all for it.

    49 weeks 45 min ago Report Comment
  • WhiplashGirlchild's picture
    WhiplashGirlchild
    18

    I don't think she looks young at all, she looks nipped and tucked and Botoxed to within an inch of her life. Most of these women would look so much better if they just let themselves age naturally.

    49 weeks 42 min ago Report Comment
  • leahlarocco's picture
    leahlarocco
    19

    Wow, it's so interesting to see the responses for these. Good to know there are other people out there who just want to get old without being hassled, eh?

    49 weeks 33 min ago Report Comment
  • ohvogueee's picture
    ohvogueee
    20

    I hate when people get botox and all that crap, they try to out run aging but EVERYONE ages and gets wrinkles, it's sad that you can't do what your body is meant to do, GET OLD!

    People see it like as a sin to get old

    49 weeks 23 min ago Report Comment
  • UrbanBohemian's picture
    UrbanBohemian
    21

    I don't like it when older women go too far in trying to look young. I think they suffer from insecurities and just can't accept that people age, and if anything it's just better to be alive and healthy, rather than younger looking.

    European women have such wonderful outlooks about aging. They look like their age, but they look really good just by keeping themselves natural and working with what they have without going to extremes. They don't try too hard to look young, but they don't project an aged look either.

    Then again, it's not good to judge someone's self-perception on beauty. If cosmetic surgery is something that will make a person happy, then she may as well do it.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • bransugar79's picture
    bransugar79
    22

    Maybe I missed something here. Isn't it a shame that anyone should feel they HAVE to be anything but themselves to be accepted? I mean I get the whole "Hollywood made me do it" argument but if one person refused, if they all just stopped going for it, Hollywood would have to start listening. I have never been the kind of person who won't leave the house without makeup or felt like I had to be perfect, so I don't feel the pressure. And believe me I feel for those who feel it daily, but I think at some point each person has to make a decision about how far they are willing to go to be "it". At a certain point I don't think it's worth it anymore.
    Maybe if we all started to really believe that talent and character and values are really what matter instead of paying lip service to them and then talking about how horrible a naturally aging 40 year old woman looks without the highlights botox and collagen injections we could get back to reality and stop kidding ourselves

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • scully's picture
    scully
    23

    I think she is beautiful but her skin is looking "plasticy". (If there is such a word!)

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • Glosslizard's picture
    Glosslizard
    24

    Of course I would never presume to tell someone that they should or shouldn't have treatments to prevent/reverse aging, but, that said, I do feel it's terrible that we've made aging something to be so ashamed of!

    Everyone gets older, whether they show it or not! As I like to say, it beats the alternative!

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • retail_therapy's picture
    retail_therapy
    25

    In this picture, she looks kinda old around the eyes. I mean, if you put Hayden P next to her, we know who is naturally younger.

    Women should learn to embrace what comes with age, not fret too much about making themselves look young. It is ok to use anti-aging products that are good for the skin.

    Hollywood women are constantly subjected to scrutiny and criticisms and to get certain roles etc, they are pressured to look young and perfect all the time. Remember seeing a pic of Angelina Jolie on her latest movie set, the sun was shining in her face and she looked positively haggard. Then everyone is harsh on you for looking old.And she is only , like 32???

    So we should embrace our natural looks, do what is good for our skin but not be a freak over it....

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • shabbygirl29's picture
    shabbygirl29
    26

    I have colored my hair since I was about 18 or so. Many different colors, and I always wear makeup to work. Would I get botox? I doubt it. There is a fine line and Nicole has crossed it. She used to be a very beautiful woman, but she looks too frozen now. It isn't a good look for anyone. They are all so thin too and that seems to age people and make them look older in my opinion.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • Dawnie86's picture
    Dawnie86
    27

    I never tough of 40 as old, that the age most woman have kids in the age from 10 to 20 or now the just become kids. And the most woman dont really look old with 40.
    But i don't know. i think everybody have to decide it alone. But i think its not really so terribley when the hair is grey with 60 or you just don't have the body from an 20 year old. And you should have to think about that your getting older and that you have there a little wrinkle. its natrual. And something everyone becomes with age. Nobody should have to hide his age.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • dragonbaby's picture
    dragonbaby
    28

    Potions, lotions and creams are one thing. Scapels and injections are another. I don't think Nicole looks real anymore. *Sigh* Neither does Meg Ryan. It is a travesty.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • motherhelen's picture
    motherhelen
    29

    Every time I see a picture of Nicole Kidman I think she looks too pinched and pulled tight.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • pandacn's picture
    pandacn
    30

    I'm totally on Team Nicole, but she needs to lay off on the Botox! She would look so much better if the skin on her face actually moved. And I agree that Helen Mirren looks absolutely amazing, not even for being her age, just in general. It's the confidence to accept who you are and what stage of life you're in that really exudes beauty.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • spacebear's picture
    spacebear
    31

    I don't think she looks anywhere near 25! Geez, she's just changing the face of 40 year olds to look like fake 40 year olds. Its sad to me.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • Angiebaby's picture
    Angiebaby
    32

    As far as Nicole Kidman is concerned, I think she IS starting to show her age and have to disagree with you on the photo shown here.. I see lines, especially around her mouth. Not that that's bad or she looks old by any means, I just feel she's aging beautifully. Now as for some OTHER actresses out there I think some do go a little far, and sometimes it's just not worth it. So many of them are so beautiful naturally and they don't continue to see it with age even when we do and that's sad.

    And may I also say that it's always bugged me that men age so much better than women? UNFAIR!!!

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • amber_castaldo's picture
    amber_castaldo
    33

    Personally, I am just going to age naturally but if someone else wants a little extra help with graceful aging well so be it. I think it's great that people have options.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • starrynite45's picture
    starrynite45
    34

    all thing have to be getting old at last ...i don't think stop aging is the best thing to do (except if u played the sims2 that's great!) for me i would accept my older age with the growing thinking & attitude...don't be afraid coz anyway u have to be old someday...u can't fight it even if u got all surgery on ur whole body...when u got stuck on being perfect & younger (or life longing forever) it will make u unhappy with ur present time...u will always be in the future & u'll never know how happiness feel like! lool it's real...just caring everyday & feel it today..right now ...feel ur natural aging & happy with it...it's the best way for my thought

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • adrianrny's picture
    adrianrny
    35

    one day it will be like a Twilight zone episode--her real face will come out! Ew!

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • kalig's picture
    kalig
    36

    I think it okay as long as you keep it natural and don't go for extreme looks. It's very easy to say you'll never get anything done when you're still young, but it's more difficult to perdict how you will handle getting older until you get there.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • bizzybee's picture
    bizzybee
    37

    I can't make a decision for someone else, but ... I do think it's weird to see the "transformations" of celebrities via plastic surgery, botox, collagen, facial peels, etc. I barely recognize Nicole! Her hair and clothing choices only serve to further enhance the false youthfulness she's trying to portray. I miss the days when she was fierce donning classic silhouettes and elegant hairstyles. Those looks were timeless.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • drexelmom's picture
    drexelmom
    38

    ok, i can talk from experience here, i am going on 50, but still look like in late 30's on a good day,{compared to how my mom looked at this age} i take great care of my skin{and always have} with cremes & gentle washing, but nicole looks fake now. smooth skin is great but stretched & "plastic" is terrible. she looked better with red hair & curls- the blonde is just too fake on her

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • chatnoir's picture
    chatnoir
    39

    I think she looks plastic and like she can't emote.

    I'm all for the vanity and looking younger but it's weird when all the actress are going for the same look. It's almost like they have the same surgeon. After a certain amount of surgeries
    they start looking nightmarish. Ashlee Simpson had a whole makeover and she's so young!

    For me, I will never say never. I have breast implants. Best move I ever made. Love them! So a lift here or there might be an option. Just not yet. I'm 42.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • tundrababe's picture
    tundrababe
    40

    The thing that bothers me is that all these women stopping the clock in Hollywood can afford it, and they're raising the standard of beauty too high for everyone else. Most people can't afford all that plastic surgery. I wouldn't get it even if I could because I'm afraid - the anesthesia from my last surgery caused me to have memory problems for a year. It's not worth the risk to me to look younger. It's also sending a message that aging is bad. It's something we all do and we really shouldn't feel ashamed of it. I admit, I don't want to get old and wrinkly, but I wish I lived in a world where it was viewed more like a badge of honor than a horrible sight to behold.

    48 weeks 6 days ago Report Comment
  • pinkcocoa's picture
    pinkcocoa
    41

    I'd like to start out by saying that men DO NOT age better than women. Women are simply held to an insane inhuman impossible standard and men are allowed to simply be. My 27 yr old boyfriend has more forehead and eye wrinkles than my 65 yr old mother. People think I am much younger than he is when in reality, I am about 5 years older. If you pick up a magazine some time, or even watch movies or tv, you can see that the wrinkles are there on the men; they are allowed to have them. On the women, they are removed with photoshop, makeup and lighting. This is the problem, the double standard. Men are allowed to wrinkle because teenage boys are not considered sexy or sophisticated. Young women are considered hotor beautiful or whatever it is, though. A rugged look is considered hot on a man. Wrinkles add to a rugged look. A smooth soft face is not as attractive on a man; it would look odd. Now quite unfairly, a rugged look is considered unattractive on a woman. The standard for women has always been clear, smooth, young, supple, perfect, flawless skin. The years and years of seeing flawless skin in magazines and on screen have made everyone's eyes very susceptible. If we see any teeny tiny line on a woman: alert the media: she's old!
    I noticed the crow's feet on Jake Gyllenhall on a GQ cover when he was all of 23. I noticed the lip wrinkles on Matt Damon not too long ago. I am sure I could go on, but you get the point. No one points out flaws on men. On women, it's like a witchhunt. Until this double standard is changed, people will believe that men age better and that women fall apart and become old hags. It is just not true though. (my mother has aged better than any man I have seen, btw).

    Nicole Kidman: What I think is the problem here is not botox. I think it's the lip injections. She looked good and normal to me until recently when I discovered that she has been getting lip injections. She was perfectly attractive with small lips; she should've left well enough alone. I think that when people get unnecessary procedures, in a lot of cases, it can make them look really weird and we can't always identify what it is, so we just assume it's botox or a facelift. But it is definitely the lips and the too blonde hair that are making her look so odd.

    Nicole Kidman is a very pale Aussie. I read an article just the other day that said her mother wouldn't let her outside as a child for fear of her getting sunburnt. I know that she has probably been wearing sunblock religiously her whole life, more religiously than 99% of the population. So her skin should be in excellent condition. (esp combined with any skincare, retin-a whatever, just not surgery or peels, etc).

    Also, Cindy Crawford,