Global Breaking News - Monday, December 23, 2024

Renee Zellweger and the Question of Aging
Many thought Renee Zellweger was unrecognizable when she appeared at an event on Monday night. She’s attributed her transformation to “living a different, happy, more fulfilling life.” But others saw evidence of plastic surgery — the kind Joan Rivers frequently joked about — and questioned the drive for eternal youth. Has the use of plastic surgery gone too far? What does it mean (or take) to age gracefully, especially in the public eye?
* unrecognizable = 알아 불 수 없는(정도의)/ attribute (sth to sth) = (~을 ~의) 결과로(덕분으로) 보다; ~의 탓이라고 보다/ fulfilling = 성취감을 주는/ drive for ~ = ~에 대한 욕구(충동)/ eternal youth = 불로/ the public eye = 세상 사람들의 주목(이목)

 성형 수술의 사용이 도를 넘었나요? 세인의 이목에 있어서 우아하게 늙는다는 것은 무엇을 의미하나요?

1. If You’re Female and Have a Face and Body, Listen Up
The latest round of photo leaks and Botox-shaming has a point, and the point is to keep women quiet.

2. Looking Different Is Not a Bad Thing
To age gracefully does not mean that one should do nothing.

3. Enjoy Reality, Reject an Expensive Fantasy
Fear of aging fuels the rampant, exploitive marketing of plastic surgery, Botox and “cosmeceuticals.”

4. Brigitte Bardot’s Age-Defying Legacy
The epitome of au naturelle in her youth, Bardot has taken au naturelle all the way by refusing the cosmetic surgery that keeps other celebrities looking forever 30.

5. We Are Our Own Brand
Just as we grow and change in our romantic partnerships, our family and our career, so too should we evolve within that personal style as we age.

6. Ageism Is the Problem
When women stop committing ageism against each other and themselves, others will follow suit.


Sample Essay

Ageism Is the Problem; Plastic Surgery Is the Symptom

Plastic surgery is simply a symptom. Ageism in our country, specifically against women, has gone too far.

It’s not only unrealistic but it is impossible to sustain the belief that a woman’s currency is in a youthful appearance. Women are valued for more than childbearing. But the archaic concept that women are most attractive during their child bearing years still prevails. Our society lives by a graph that sets up the belief that there is a prime of life, which suggests we hit a peak of excellence at a randomly selected age, leading us to believe that we become less in all aspects of our character, capabilities and attractiveness past age 30. It is an absurd concept and scientifically false. But it is a powerful belief that wears down our self-esteem and influences many of our most critical life decisions.

Women are judged on their looks and then told their “looks” fade over time, which leads them to believe they will be less valued as they age. No wonder women spend billions of dollars every year on Botox, wrinkle creams and cosmetic surgery to stave off the signs of life as time moves on.

The truth is that there is a unique beauty to a woman at every stage of her life, from new-born to adolescent, through pubescence, adulthood and beyond. When women stop committing agism against each other and themselves, others will follow suit and our great granddaughters can grow up in a pro-age society.