Could it be that Hollywood, the plastic surgery capital of the world, is starting to shun the nipped/tucked set? Are natural looking actresses winning out over Botox babes and silicone starlets?
Hard to believe, but that’s just what some say is beginning to happen. A few weeks ago a casting director named Francene Selkirk told Nightline, the ABC late night news show, that being “plastically perfect” may actually work against an actor or actress these days as more and more films call for the natural look. She cited a recent casting call for the fourth iteration of “Pirates of the Caribbean” which specified actresses must have “real breasts” as an example.
Indeed, it seems that more stars speak out to lament their procedures than to celebrate them these days. It’s likely no one was too surprised that Heidi Montag—famous for having ten procedures in one day a few months ago—continued to maintain a presence in the limelight by saying she regretted having plastic surgery soon after she healed. But other actors and actresses people tend to take a bit more seriously are also saying they regret choosing a cosmetic procedure.
Dana Delaney, currently starring on Desperate Housewives but perhaps better known for her Emmy-winning role on the acclaimed China Beach series, has said she will never have another procedure after a bad experience with Botox. Other celebrities with plastic surgery regrets include Kathy Griffin, Kenny Rogers, Katie Price and many more.
So what are the chances that Hollywood royalty will give up cosmetic procedures altogether? Just about zero. But it could be that the all-important concept of moderation has finally reached Tinseltown.
For a look at the direction famous trendsetters could be heading, check out two slide shows posted online recently by the Orange County Register, a publication that helps the rest of the country keep up with life in California’s southland. Colin Stewart first gives us a look at stars turning out for the Emmy Awards in August:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/awards-264386-emmy-plastic.html?pic=1
Then the following month he covers the MTV Awards:
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/awards-266432-mtv-plastic.html?pic=1
What stands out in these slide shows? For one thing, there are a number of actresses growing older gracefully and beautifully without intervention at all (or at least not much). Kyra Sedgwick, Edie Falco and Julia Ormond are among them. Others with minimal fine-tuning deemed “tasteful” and “elegant” include Jewel and Rosario Dawson, who have had cosmetic dentistry, and several actresses who seem to use Botox in moderation. A few stars, like Lady Gaga, have undergone rhinoplasty that yielded a mostly natural looking result, and even actresses who are said to have had breast surgery don’t look like freaks of nature.
Although it’s debatable whether Cher, the self-styled “plastic surgery poster girl,” still looks normal at age 64, not one of these stars has the horrific look of cosmetic surgery veterans of several years past. It seems as if the odd looking, unnatural, almost unrecognizable faces of celebrities like Tori Spelling, Melanie Griffith and Priscilla Presley may be rare in the years to come.
There’s a lesson here for everyone. In the quest to stay young looking, svelte and perky, it’s easy to go overboard. This happens to normal people as well as celebrities. And whatever you think you may need to erase, lift, trim or augment, there’s a plastic surgeon out there who’s willing to oblige.
So, how far to go to look youthful and when to stop altering your appearance — it’s all up to you. As you choose the place to draw the line for yourself, remember that on the other side of the line is someone who doesn’t look like you any longer.