The red carpets, magazine covers, the constant camera flashes… It is well known that Hollywood praises one thing at all times: beauty. Not only does it matter almost as much as talent, but it also influences the goals people want to achieve who are not a part of the industry. Coming dangerously close to simply unreachable, Hollywood has dictated the beauty standards for decades. But how does one achieve such a thing? When does the idea of being human get in the way?
Women are told for a better part of history – and a lot of time in current days – that they should be sensitive, graceful, and most important of all: beautiful. However, this standard of beauty does not correlate to one human aspect that no one can escape from getting older.
Is Carrie Bradshaw Going To Have Grey Hair?
The Sex and the City reboot, And just like that…, received a lot of backlash regarding the age and appearance of the actresses. Especially Sarah Jessica Parker because of the importance of her character, Carrie Bradshaw, in the show. From social media comments to interviews, Parker has already faced various questions regarding her age. One of the most common (and almost the reason that causes panic): Is Carrie Bradshaw going to have grey hair?
“‘Grey hair grey hair grey hair. Does she have grey hair?’ I’m sitting with Andy Cohen and he has a full head of grey hair, and he’s exquisite. Why is it okay for him? I don’t know what to tell you people!” Sarah Jessica Parker
Getting grey hair is not viewed as a bad thing in male actors. It is something that is praised. From lists like ‘’The hottest silver foxes of Hollywood’ to ‘Celebs who are owning the silver fox look’, male celebrities received praise for aging and embracing it. When Steve Carell appeared for the first time with a head full of grey hair, people went crazy for the new silver fox. HuffPost says, ‘Move over, Clooney. Steve Carell is our favorite silver fox now.’, Bazaar said, ‘Nothing will prepare you for these hot photos of Steve Carell. Silver fox alert!’
So, should women appear younger?
Some celebrities are praised for not looking their age, one of the most famous ones: Jennifer Lopez. She is a professional dancer and singer that got everyone crazy after the movie Hustlers, where she plays a stripper, was released. At the same time, she received a lot of hate saying that she has botox, which the singer firmly denied. But the thing is: what if she had? Isn’t the whole point not to look your age? Yes, but it has to be natural — which is needless to say that is impossible. Jane Fonda is an example of a female celebrity that has done a lot of cosmetic surgery but somehow has to explain why she did it. It is not viewed as something positive, on the contrary. She walked out of a few interviews or refused to answer because of the questions regarding her plastic surgeries.
“But on one level, I hate the fact that I’ve had the need to alter myself physically to feel that I’m okay. I wish I wasn’t like that. I love older faces. I love lived-in faces.” Jane Fonda
Aging is a human condition. It is not something to be praised or hated on. There is only one way that a human being does not experience getting older, and it is not a nice alternative. Hollywood needs to step up their game and realize how damaging these notions of beauty and aging for women can be.
