“It stems from the fact that people don’t want to feel they have a ‘use by’ date for their career in Washington.... People want to have long careers, vibrant careers, and this is an intersection of appearance and performance.”...
None of Alster’s patients is trying to look 25 or even 35. They just want to appear sharp, sophisticated, at the top of their game. “We get a lot of people who are looking over their shoulder at the next generation,” says Alster. “They do not want to be identified as being old.”
July 14, 2014
Plastic surgery, Washington D.C.-style.
It's all about power, the seemingly endless career:
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17 comments:
The worlds of Hollywood and DC always seem interconnected. Paul Begala said "Politics is show business for ugly people."
But politics (or "public service") should not be a "career" at all. The fact that it's becoming even more superficial underscores that.
“We get a lot of people who are looking over their shoulder at the next generation,” says Alster. “They do not want to be identified as being old.”
Let's re-write that.
“We get a lot of people who are looking over their shoulder at the [naive and inexperienced]” says Alster. “They do not want to be identified as being [skeptical and experienced].”
Yes. That sounds like something someone would not want to ever be seen as.
Good grief.
The docs in the photo on the linked article both look like they've had some work done. Especially the woman. And what's he doing with his hand? Maybe she's having some work done right there.
“They do not want to be identified as being old.”
IOW, they don't want to face reality with grace and wisdom.
Instant dislike.
The docs look like figures from a wax museum. Now that's something to aspire to.
This is about the funny look around the eyes of almost all the ladies on TV?
What a weird, creepy picture of weird, creepy people offering weird, creepy services to weird, creepy clients.
I left DC 10 years ago, but get back a few times a year. There were always a few guys with toupees, a few women with face lifts, but generally my old friends and acquaintances look the way you'd expect them to. Do I need new glasses (or contact lenses)?
They changed the photo, and this one might be even creepier than the first.
I wonder if they changed it because they, too were wondering what he was doing with his hand in the original.
I took the liberty of fishing the original photo out of my browser cache. You can find it here:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/51225298@N03/14653533045/
Some call it "coffin look".
WHEN you are old and gray and full of sleep
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep.
And how, tho you think you're still so coy,
Alas, it's but low-rent Pillsbury Doughboy.
(Apologies to Yeats)
Fortunately, I own my own business. Ageism is real and older people are actively discriminated against in hiring situations. I can't blame these people at all. How is it that so many folks can sympathize with illegal aliens breaking laws to get to this country to work, but look down their noses at an older person having cosmetic work done to try to keep themselves employable?
Let's admit it, in DC there are a lot of pigs that want to keep their botox snout in the trough.
Especially in Congress the "sell by" date analogy is VIP. These people arrive with modest means and leave millionaires with more consultancy opportunities.
We actually need another Rostenkowski style change. Maybe Obamacare is the catalyst.
Her in Colorado they are showing an ad encouraging support for fracking. The ad features two former governors democrat Roy Romer and Republican Bill Owens. Even though Bill is much younger, he's had some obvious plastic surgery. While he still looks younger, he looks strange. Shouldn't people have more of an aversion to looking strange than looking old?
I'm surprised no one is talking about the truly fabulous work Hillary has had done. Very subtle, but wow.
The reality is that professional educators or administrators are always seeking promotion or retention often in face of strangers brought in from outside to take over a department. The newbie feels a need to pick some folks to fire and some folks and promote over others as a political strategy that will create loyalty to themselves.
Welcome to the real world. The younger looking and attractive ones are the keepers. So having some work done is a necessary part of keeping a job until retirement.
The Hillary Wars starting in November have shown how much a woman needs to younger looking to keep her job.
Edward Klein's Blood Feud is a good read. The man has good sources.
Blood Feud was so well written that I also downloaded Klein's book Katie, about the inimitable female TV Star Katherine Couric.
Katie is a great read too. These ambitious/powerful women of the last 20 years have done themselves proud.
“We get a lot of people who are looking over their shoulder at the next generation,” says Alster. “They do not want to be identified as being old.”
The real vanity is the refusal to recognize that this is the same reason all those other people get plastic surgery.
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