The Psychological Price Tags Of Botox

No longer a hush-hush experience, Botox is turning out to be one of the most popular non-surgical cosmetic treatments for reducing fine lines and wrinkles. But while there’s no doubt about the popularity of flocking to the needle (have you ever heard about botox parties?), the jury is still out on the psychological effects of this injectable medicine. 

A lot of successful women in Hollywood are motivated early on by not being good enough, and so we’re trying to prove something to ourselves- actress and ‘Goop’ entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow explains to Harper’s Bazaar-. By getting injectables, it’s like admitting a vulnerability. There does seem to be a lot of stigma around injections.

Now, the problem here is not having the genuine desire to look attractive but the fact women feel the need for staying young at all costs. I wonder why not challenge an ageist society instead? Whose idea to make us think we should all look like Barbies? What message is this giving to our daughters? Also, how many women can afford such an expensive ‘midlife crisis‘ like the one Gwyneth has experienced?

According to a study published by Cambridge Press in the journal “Ageing & Society“, mature women experience and respond to ageism in relation to their changing physical appearances and within the context of their personal relationships and places of employment. Those interviewed suggested that they engaged in beauty work for the following underlying motivations: the fight against invisibility, a life-long investment in the appearance, the desire to attract or retain a romantic partner, and employment related-ageism. 

We contend that the women’s experiences highlight a tension between being physically and socially visible by virtue of looking youthful, and the realities of growing older – researchers explain-. In other words, social invisibility arises from the acquisition of visible signs of ageing and compels women to make their chronological ages imperceptible through the use of beauty work.

My dear Gwyneth, instead of ditching the stigma around those “teeny drop” of injectables that are supposed to be able to make us look “less pissed off“, why don’t you start fighting ageism in Hollywood? I think it’s time to take pride in our age and our imperfect appearance. We shouldn’t rely too much on the way we look in order to exude confidence. By this age, we should know that we will never be able to turn the clock back. So why not accept the women we are becoming? The challenge here is to finally feel comfortable in our own skin. We don’t need a new face to challenge the world, but a renovated faith, in ourselves, our wisdom and our skills.