Face: One Square Foot of Skin

by Justine Bateman

Writer/director/producer Justine Bateman examines the aggressive ways that society reacts to the aging of women's faces.


"Face . . . is filled with fictional vignettes that examine real-life societal attitudes and internal fears that have caused a negative perspective on women's faces as they age." —TODAY, a Best Book of 2021



"There is nothing wrong with your face. At least, that's what Justine Bateman wants you to realize. Her new book, One Square Foot of Skin, is a collection of fictional short stories told from the perspectives of women of all ages and professions; with it, she aims to correct the popular idea that you need to stop what you're doing and start staving off any signs of aging in the face." —W Magazine



"Combining the author's intensely personal stories with relevant examples from the culture at large, the book is heartbreaking and hopeful, infuriating and triumphant." —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review


Face is a book of fictional vignettes that examines the fear and vestigial evolutionary habits that have caused women and men to cultivate the imagined reality that older women's faces are unattractive, undesirable, and something to be "fixed."



Based on "older face" experiences of the author, Justine Bateman, and those of dozens of women and men she interviewed, the book presents the reader with the many root causes for society's often negative attitudes toward women's older faces. In doing so, Bateman rejects those ingrained assumptions about the necessity of fixing older women's faces, suggesting that we move on from judging someone's worth based on the condition of her face.



With impassioned prose and a laser-sharp eye, Bateman argues that a woman's confidence should grow as she ages, not be destroyed by society's misled attitude about that one square foot of skin.

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Essays, Audiobook, Book Club, Memoir, Biography

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2022

Reviews

[Andrea McDowell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Judgmental and deeply sexist, which is ironic given the subject and press coverage. Apparently all women need to do to overcome ageism is develop pride in wrinkles.

Also ableist. I stopped reading in disgust when I hit the r-word. Imagine putting that in a book in 2021 and thinking you're making a societal commentary on anything but your own shoddy values.

~~~~~

Updated November 7 2021: Apparently there are people who feel compelled to deeply defend their use of ableist slurs, including the r-word, because at one point in our linguistic history, it was a French word for "slow" and a medical word for intellectual disabilities.

You do you, I guess. If you have a deep need to publicly expose yourself as someone who is committed to using slurs of any kind, you're not someone I want to know.

There are many many resources online about how hurtful this word is, how harmful it is to those with intellectual disabilities, and how it is no longer used even in a medical context.

From one, on Literary Hub, since this is a literary site: "In 2009, Special Olympics launched a campaign called “Spread the Word to End the Word.” The following year, President Obama signed Rosa’s Law, barring the use of the term mentally retarded in federal documents. I still see “mental retardation” on outdated forms at the pediatrician’s office and sometimes I hear teenagers call each other retards. But I don’t encounter the r-word nearly as much as I used to."

From: https://lithub.com/learning-to-unsay-...

Is this really the free-speech hill you want to die on?

~~~~~

Updated November 8 2021 because Carolyn Hax's column today was about divorcing a man who refuses to stop using the r-word as a "technically correct" joke against his wife: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifest... The timing was too good to resist.

[Sharon Gausch · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea of this book, and Justine Bateman is a sharp and insightful writer. But the myriad vignettes became repetitive, and I didn't come away with any overarching message. That made it feel a bit like a whine-fest. I think I was expecting an anthem celebrating the beauty of women's aging faces in all their guises, but this book isn't that.

[Kathleen Sams]

My father used to tease me by comparing me to Mallory Keaton on the 1980s sitcom Family Ties. An airhead teen who cared only about shopping and boys. Somewhere along my life journey, I internalized the idea that looks were more valuable than brains. I never thought I was pretty enough. My father never thought I was smart enough. He seemed to like Mallory, though. One day in college, I received a letter inviting me to join Phi Beta Kappa. My first thought was, This is a mistake. I spent years feeling that I was fooling people, unsure who I really was.

Justine Bateman is the actor who played Mallory Keaton more than thirty years ago. Now a writer, director, and producer in her mid-fifties, Bateman has been accused of looking too old, too ugly, not taking care of herself. Her lined face adorns the cover of her latest book Face, a collection of 47 narratives in which different women tell tales about their looks. An advertising executive laments the role she played in making women feel they were flawed so the companies she represented could sell them products they didn’t need. A wife is disgusted by her husband, pot-bellied with thinning hair, who makes comments about women who have “let themselves go.” A couple discuss a new client whose wife poses a threat to his business prospects because she has not had plastic surgery. “ ‘He can’t be representing that company, and driving a Maserati, and then not fix his wife’s face.’ ”

Bateman writes that the question society poses is no longer whether or not a woman should undergo cosmetic procedures, but when. Should females in their twenties and thirties start Botox as a preventative measure, or wait until they are older? A college professor in the book states that women are valued as long as they are able to procreate, an idea that many of us have heard, but one that no longer makes sense in the twenty-first century. Instead of countering this argument, too many females try to erase their faces, hoping to look desirable rather than authentic. Hollywood and photoshopped images in magazines and on social media perpetuate female ideals that are unattainable, even to the stars. In recent days, a Kardashian sister tried to get rid of an unedited photo that an assistant had released online. Her bikini-clad body looked real, unlike the one in the picture she later shared, her airbrushed features resembling those of a smooth-skinned, plastic Barbie doll.

Despite such efforts to hide perceived flaws and present an image of perfection, some women discover that men pay more attention to them after they stop coloring their hair and embrace their natural gray. While some males do prefer younger females [often to bolster their own insecurities], there are others who seek authenticity in a partner. It takes confidence to go gray when your peers are dyeing their locks, and many men are attracted to confidence. One of the narratives in Bateman’s book describes the reaction of a young American hairdresser traveling in Nice. She watches a woman with an edgy style kissing a man on both cheeks. “Nina wanted this. It wasn’t just the look, it was the confidence, the way the woman moved. It was all of it.” Then Nina sees the woman’s face—“Older. Much older. 50, 55, Nina figured”—and appreciates the woman’s look even more. “Her face seemed like some giant ‘fuck you’ to society, to the way women were ‘supposed to be’ at that age.” Nina “knew now that there was nothing that special about walking around with style and confidence and a smooth 24-year-old face and body. But to have that style when people think you shouldn’t, to have that confidence at an age when no one expects it, to not follow any unwritten personality divestiture rules, that was something.”

Bateman argues that, by making cosmetically altered faces the norm, we are harming all women—older women with wrinkles who are deemed unwanted and worthless and younger women who need role models. Fairy tales feature old women as witches. Evil and ugly. In today’s society, women are too often told to be quiet. To hide our personalities and conform. Should we willingly erase our faces as well? Bateman bears—and bares—her lines as evidence of a life well-lived, full of laughter, love, tears and travel, days in the sun and sleepless nights caring for children. She encourages other women to do the same, and she explains in the introduction that she shared the stories of many women because she, as a reader, would want to hear more than one perspective and experience. One weakness with the book is the fact that the other voices come from women identified by a first name, a profession, and an age. I would have loved to see first and last names, but the 25 individuals who shared their stories with Bateman did so because she promised anonymity. Telling the truth can lead to personal and professional backlash. Women will have made real progress only when we no longer feel the need to hide. Face provides a starting place.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I think it’s relatable, honest, and not preachy. I saw elements of myself in all of the women throughout the short stories. I think it’s fascinating to look at aging from all different view points. No matter what your current situation is or your socio-economic status, etc. if you’re a woman you have some sort of feeling about aging and what that means to you, and for you. I think this book speaks to all of that and it’s worth the read.

[Char]

DNF
This is a collection of tales discussing aging women's faces. I listened to about half of them and then, not gonna lie, I got tired of the repetition.

The goal of this book is to question why women feel the need to "fix" their faces, be it because of their job, their spouses, or even their own denigrating thoughts. I recognized some of myself in each of the stories I listened to, and I do agree with the fact that what women really need to "fix" is society's view of the aging woman. Even though I agree with that premise, I don't really see society's views of the aging woman changing any time soon. This, plus the fact that after a while all the stories sounded the same, caused me to ditch this listen and move on to something else.

I appreciate what the author tried to do, but it became too repetitive for me. No rating/no real review.

[Misty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get where she was going with this but it missed the mark in my opinion. This was a compilation of stories from women of all different ages and backgrounds and how they see themselves, how others perceive them and other struggles.

This was depressing to me with no positive ending... I need to take a deep breath after that. It made me sad for sure.

[Traci O'Dea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Justine Bateman's book should start a revolution. The writing is compelling, honest, surprising, and artful. Stories range from love stories to satire to science fiction (I mean, think of what women are doing to their faces). Everyone should read this book that brings light to the lies.

[Ramona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Justine Bateman skillfully narrates this collection of short stories devoted to one thing : the face of a woman.

Age plays a role in this, of course.
At least that what society has told us and that’s what we’ve decided to believe. That the chasing of a youthful ideal is a fine pursuit.
The nip & tuck procedures done to appease those around us from- heaven forbid- seeing a woman age.
Told in a series of perspectives of women, all varying stages of aging and all in varying stages of acceptance, I found this book to be mesmerizing. The advantage a man has over a woman in the aging game. The relentless pursuit to look young, often times coming at a loss of other more meaningful pursuits in our lives. The marketing of products all promising to halt our aging faces and give us a life of shimmering, younger looking joy. It’s exhausting.

I’m constantly battling the mental flip-flop of seeking ways to look better and resigning to the battering that aging does to all of us. But why is it one or the other? How do we find that sweet spot in the center, where we see our age and observe it unafraid. Sure, we may still splash on a fresh face of makeup and indulge in a sweet smelling lotion, but can’t we do it lovingly instead of with fear?

I found these voices to be honest and raw (language warning for those who steer clear of that type of writing) and they all made me want to embrace what aging is.
It is a gift.
Not all are blessed to live through such an honor, so please, can we stop the horrible criticism of the women we see, both in our lives and in the spotlight, when the inevitable hands of time touch them, and let them all just be themselves?
This book made me want to step out of the arena. Step out and receive the gift of time, and cheer for the women around us who do the same.
Aging should not be the enemy.
It should be the prize.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grateful for this book

A much-needed perspective that has altered my own. Most moved by the chapter of the dead woman reflecting on how much time she wasted obsessing over her one square foot of skin.

[Karen Fayett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed my lookout on Life!

I related so much with this book and the stories of the women in it. I chose this book because I'm 55 and was not dealing well with aging. I dont know how I even heard about the book but when I did I knew I wanted to read it! It definitely has helped me realize that my sole purpose in life is NOT to look like I did in my 20's and that I have so much more to live for than that! Thank you Justine.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I'd enjoy this book but I didn't expect it to affect me like it did. Maybe it's because, as a woman of that age (I'm 51) where you start to experience so much of what I read in this series of fact based short stories, it really hit home. I could relate to so much of it. Things I've felt. Things I've done. The way we as women look at each other. The way men look at us. It doesn't necessarily suggest that "fixing" your face is bad, but it does make you question the why behind it. How did we get here? And how early are you expected to start? And does it really make your life better? Our cultural acceptance that the aging female face being something that needs "fixing" is a long con that we've all been dragged into, for sure. This book does such great job of pointing that out and making you think about it. And it also reminds you of how liberating it is to say F*$k that.

[Cindy H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initially when I borrowed this audio from Audible, I thought this was a NF essay collection and I was looking forward to hearing each woman’s story. Unfortunately, this was a collection of fictionalized vignettes with very little substance and too much repetition. Interesting idea but didn’t really leave any sort of impact, other than making me a little more depressed about aging.

[Maryanne Christiano-Mistretta · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a chore getting through this book. I kept putting it down because it was so depressing, though I like Justine's style of writing. I had high hopes as I read the beginning where Justine wrote about how proud is of her aging face. (She truly is beautiful, cool looking, and has a slammin' body and great hair).

The bad news is, the stories were nonsensical. It's just a bunch of rambling from insecure women who took to heart insensitive comments from misogynist, ageist men. Thank God these shallow Neanderthal fools who judge women on their looks are the exception--not the rule. Let them have their gold digging younger women who will leave them in the end anyway. Who cares!

I'm on Facebook regularly and I see so many positive things male fans of all ages write to older female celebrities. They ask Julie Newmar out to dinner; they say how hot Jill Biden is; and our sisters, fellow women, praise the natural beauty of aging models like Isabella Rossellini. Older women are now celebrated more than over, making this book very dated.
As women, we have choices. Go where they love is. It doesn't make sense to stay with a man who expects you not to age (or judgmental, insecure female friends who expect you to go for Botox treatments with them -- or fat shame you even if you're still a size 6, but no longer a 4). They are the weirdos. Let's stop giving them attention.

I have a brother-in-law who said it best, "A woman who is a 6 can easily be a 10 with a great personality."

Men have evolved since the 1980s; let's give men more credit and stop producing pity party books like this, as it only addresses a small percent of the man-child population who haven't grown up to be real men yet.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh gee, I was hoping for so much more. Justine Bateman took the time to do 47 short stories with people on the subject of women with aging face. She concentrates on women who are rich enough to spend $2,000 a year on face creams and those who get hooked into the face life addiction.

On the cover, her face is shown with the markings of a cosmetic surgeon. That lead me to think that this book is about her own personal story. If I could talk to Justine, I would tell her to write the story from her own heart, her own personal view, not from 47 different people.

What we got instead were one-word sentences, choppy, choppy and very repetitious. I started out reading the stories. Everyone ended abruptly and lacked depth. When I got to page 91, I began to skim. I felt that I was felt that I was floundering. I do believe that she is good at acting and directing, but I think that she needs to read, read, read and take writing courses to learn how to speak her heart and have people hear her message.



I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book from the Publishers as a win from LibraryThing. My thoughts and feeling are entirely my own.

[Peggy Hayes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and inspirational stories compiled by Justine Bateman on unrealistic and negative beauty standards for aging women. As an older woman I found the stories resonated with my experience, and empowered and validated my thinking that older women have much to contribute and should not shrink into invisibility. I am working to embrace my aging and living my best life at almost 60! Read this to feel empowered as you age! Thank you Justine for this important work!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the idea of this book but the stories fell flat. Best chapter was the last one by Justine Bateman, the author.
Totally agree with the views on aging and how as a society we view women as less than or letting themselves go as they age.
We have pressure to keep up, conform and deny the process of getting older.

[Ariel ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short vignettes based on several interviews with women a la “The Vagina Monologues” (but MUCH BETTER, imo).

My favorite was chapter 23, Beth. 58. Model.

“We were just telling Theresa here what a natural beauty you are. That your wrinkles and eye bags are all you."

Beth smiled at Theresa, accentuating her crow’s feet and smile lines. “Oh, you’ll get there. You have to be patient, give your beauty time to blossom."

What would it be like if we lived in a world where we celebrated all the signs of a woman's age and experience????

A few stories had similar themes, so it began to feel somewhat repetitive near the end. Justine Bateman narrated the entire audiobook. Although she’s a skilled storyteller, she did not change her voice much between sections.

Quick read! An effective weapon against the ridiculous amount of anti-aging propaganda women encounter every day. More books like this, please.

[Diem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fresh off of listening to her book "Fame" which I found compelling in spite of not particularly enjoying the literary voice (the reader/author's literal voice was enjoyable), I proceeded to listen to "Face" in which Bateman expounds on one of the pivotal issues in her first book. It's important to know that Bateman, widely lauded for her beauty in her youth, grew into a face that has been dragged mercilessly for doing something unforgivable: aging "poorly." Bateman has forgone any cosmetic procedures and unlike when other celebrities make the same claim, you can see that Bateman is telling the truth. Her face is honest and she was been cruelly pilloried for that.

"Face" is a collection of short stories all addressing the toxic relationship our culture, many cultures, have with women's faces with particular focus on the way they age. This is a very interesting topic for me as a woman deep into middle-age and as a long time devotee of women's faces. My favorite type of art is portraiture and I prefer portraits of women almost to the exclusion of portraits of men or children. I love fashion magazines in part because I like to look at the models' faces.

I have spent hours studying the author's face as she was a prominent fixture in magazines and on my television during the years when I was first developing my taste for women's faces. So to hear the owner of this face talking about women's aging faces was always going to be a draw for me.

I'm fortunate, I guess, that I grew up without representation in the paintings and magazines to which I have been exposed my entire life. I grew up without representation in real life. No one looks like me. No public persona was a reasonable model for a way I should look. Nothing about the conventional standard of beauty was relatable or achievable. I could admire it without a sense of envy or striving. I grew into adulthood not thinking much about my own face but only because I had dismissed it entirely from the conversation.

This was not necessarily great for developing a sense of self, but had the long term benefit of meaning that I am able to watch my face age without an overwhelming sense of loss. I'm a little removed from that face so I am not taking it personally. Not that I don't miss my taut skin and the way it clung to my jawline, I just don't think about my face because I dismissed it so entirely in my youth. I don't think about it when I can't actually see the way it's slackening.

I'm not in denial about it either. I have the time and can afford all manner of upkeep and plastic surgery - that's not a boast, the money isn't mine, it's just a fact that makes this point relevant - but I haven't done any and I feel confident that I never will. I truly don't "struggle" with looking older. But I am deeply curious about it and about how it is impacting me in ways I haven't understood yet. And I am extremely cognizant of and angry about how ageism and the patriarchy have used women's faces to limit and marginalize them.

Look, how I feel about my personal aging and how I've shrugged it off isn't that relevant to the any conversation about how the culture vilifies older women. I don't work so I don't have to worry about being perceived as too old for my job. Nothing about my life has ever required me to be particularly good-looking to partake of it. But when a woman like Bateman, whose life and livelihood depended largely upon how her face was received by the world, eschews all "maintenance" and demands that you look at her unfiltered face while she talks to you about it, I'm listening.

The writing is GREAT. I know that's not a literary term. It's okay. I was blown away b/c I had disliked the voice of the first book. This is not that voice. This is a writer. The message is powerful. If you don't come away from it wondering how we all agreed to this fucked up model for society...you weren't paying attention.

[Joelle Egan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Those of us who grew up in the 80s might best remember Justine Bateman from her role as Mallory in “Family Ties.” Her character was depicted as a stereotypical teen from that era: obsessed with materialistic success, appearance and conformity. It is interesting in this context to read her latest work of collected stories, Face, which is a repudiation of those very values that she used to portray. The book contains 47 short stories, each told by the point-of-view of American women of varying ages and occupations. The overarching theme is the marginalization of women once they reach a mature age, with or without opting for cosmetic surgery to mitigate its effects. In the introduction, Bateman discusses how the perceived value of women after child-bearing age is greatly diminished, especially when compared to men of similar ages. While the author is seeming to attempt a broad inclusion of different narrators, the book is heavily represented by the wealthy and privileged-especially those in the entertainment industry. This is unsurprising given Bateman’s own probable circle of associates and experience but results in a sense of elitism and repetitiveness. There is no mention of people for whom such surgeries are unavailable due to cost or opportunity, and the elective procedures are treated as choices available to all. Bateman’s own opinion on the subject becomes very clear, and this book appears to act somewhat as a personal rebuttal to her own critics and competitors in her industries. Those who choose to alter their appearance are for the most part disdained and judged as being superficial. Face is a book with a clear agenda that is meant to be considered admirable and affirming, but unfortunately often comes across instead as didactic and one-sided.

Thanks to the author and Akashic Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

[Ashley Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was excited to read this book but was disappointed that it was fictional essays. I was hoping it would be more of a memoir.

[Miriam Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review here: http://mimi-cyberlibrarian.blogspot.c...

Tonight as I was watching the PBS news, I paid special attention to Judy Woodruff, her guest Senator Capito, and a reporter Charlayne Hunter-Gault. These were all women in their 60s and 70s and they presented themselves in all their power, faces and all. They are the women that actress, writer, director and producer, Justine Bateman, is addressing in her new book Face: One Square Foot of Skin. In this book, Bateman examines aging faces and describes the discrepancy between men’s aging faces and women’s aging faces. She says that “traditionally, men’s older faces signify power, and women’s older faces signify a loss of power.” She goes on to say. “I hated the idea that half the population was perhaps spending the entire second half of their lives ashamed and apologetic that their faces had aged naturally.” I was proud to see those women on the news. They did not appear at all to be ashamed of their beautiful, intelligent faces.

As Bateman entered her forties, she found that she was being treated differently than when she had been a young, fresh-faced ingenue. As a consequence, Bateman chose to explore the issue of women’s faces through very short stories that are based on interviews she made with women of all ages. The stories are intimate and are significant examples of the tenuous nature of women’s self-assurance and confidence. The stories are very revealing because Bateman argues that a woman’s confidence should grow rather than deteriorate as she ages. It should not be destroyed by society’s misled attitude about that “one square foot of skin.” I saw this happening recently when a woman I knew in her early 50s was forced to find a new job. She knew that she was more than qualified for the job for which she was interviewing, but she worried that she might be too old. Did her face have too many lines? Were her eyes puffy? Was her neck saggy? Would her face be judged rather than her immense capabilities.

Bateman feels that cosmetic surgery is a “Ponzi Scheme.” She wants women to walk out into the world with an attitude that says, “Fuck you! I look great.” I would imagine that for celebrity women like Bateman, the pressure to “fix your face" is especially intense. Occasionally, I get caught up looking at Facebook entries headed, “You won’t believe how (so and so) looks now.” Bateman has made me look at myself much more critically in the mirror, scanning my face for wrinkles, etc. Other than a saggy neck and no eyelids or eyelashes, I am looking my age. I think I feel worse about my flabby upper arm than by my saggy neck.

Last night my book club met virtually. There are twelve women in the club, with ages from 38 to 78. They are all extremely intelligent, confident women with faces to match. We were having a Zoom call with a well-known author, who was obviously impressed by our analysis of his book and of our questions. I was so proud to be one of those beautiful, strong women.

This is what Bateman’s book emphasizes—celebrate who you are, wrinkles and all. As she says, "So, let's imagine that our one-of-a-kind faces are a new kind of NFT, a currency backed by a life lived without hesitation in the sunshine of good days and bad." Read Face: One Square Food of Skin in conjunction with Women Rowing North that I reviewed last month. Your confidence will be renewed.

An interview with Justine Bateman in Vanity Fair. Time magazine’s review concludes that Face is "an engrossing look at an issue that continues to be problematic for millions of women every day."

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It could have been so much better. I loved the idea of the book and was looking forward to reading it. However, the execution fell flat. She interviewed a lot of women to get their perspective on aging and plastic surgery. Instead of directly quoting them and using their examples to go into detail about certain p oints of her main topic, Bateman decided to create fictionalized short vignettes. I guess she wanted to go for a more emotional, artistic vibe but I didn't like it. All the characters ran together and spoke in the same voice. It got very repetitive and boring.

I also had issues with her selection of women she interviewed. Almost every one of them was either a wealthy socialite wife or worked in creative industries. She spoke to A LOT of actresses. Either she should have kept the focus only on actors and how they deal with aging & the entertainment industry, or she should have spoken with just one actor, in order to get a greater variety of viewpoints. I mean, I get it. Famous actresses are judged on their looks and the signs of normal aging are damaging to their careers. Doesn't everyone already know that?

I honestly did not relate to the rampant insecurity shown throughout this book. It's sad to think that there are so many women that obsessed with aging. Maybe I'd relate more if I had been stunningly beautiful when I was younger? I must run around in the wrong circles because most women I know have not had plastic surgery and as far as I know, aren't going to suddenly change into the kind of people with the money, time & inclination to do so. My husband's job is not dependent on me looking a certain way, unlike the husbands of the wealthy wives in this book. I did not marry a middle-aged wealthy European playboy when I was 22 so I don't fear my husband trading me in for a new 22 year old. The moms at my kid's schools were normal people, not trophy wives who look like they should be starring in a Real Housewives franchise. I cannot stress how totally unrelatable all these women were.

I'm in my 50s and have no plans to undergo major surgery or inject poison into myself in a desperate attempt to remain young. I take care of myself and plan to continue in order to be healthy and strong as I get older. My fear is getting sick or incapacitated as I age. I want to die with all my teeth in my head, still moving around with no cane/walker/wheelchair and my mind sharp & intact. I don't ever want to wear diapers. I honestly couldn't give a f uck if I have excess knee skin(yes, apparently that is something some women worry about and have surgery on).

Such a waste of a great topic.....

Popsugar 2021/a book that discusses body positivity

[Jane Dugger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am very middle of the road on this book. I had high hopes of reading an interesting perspective about the pressures of augmenting one's face by society. I thought perhaps there would be a uplifting epilogue about embracing oneself (all of our faults - physically & emotionally).

Honestly, I was confused for most of the book.

There are 47 short stories (really essays) from a variety of people who have been pressured to alter their face. Often at the beginning of the essay the author is a confident woman who then is exposed to terrible vitriol either directly or behind their back about how they aren't aging well. It was emotionally draining.

I guess I live under a rock (read: naive) or really subscribe to the axiom "if you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all". I am appalled at how cruel humans can be to one another.

I think this topic has great potential. I feel it might have been better suited as a longer magazine piece. Either way here are the suggestions I'd make:
-Shorten the number of stories/essays then create sections for similar essays (topically).
-Include an introduction for each section on why it was chosen and thoughts to ponder. Guide the reader. Perhaps here would be a good place to add scientific data and statistics.
- Change the font/type.
-Answer the questions from the introduction either more directly by the author or illustratively with essays. (Why do we think that older woman's faces were something that need to be fixed at all? and What do we think "fixing" them will accomplish?) Neither are really answered or discussed in a concrete way.
-Include some discussion and essays from women who didn't feel pressured to alter their face but did it for other unique reasons.

I think this is an interesting topic and ripe for discussion. It should be discussed more openly and the emotional motivations. But where do you draw the line? No to facelifts? no to botox? OK. No to dyeing your hair? No to wearing sunscreen? Moisturizers?

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of fictional essays from 47 women who felt victimized by the film industry about how their faces were aging. These stories highlight women in all stages of life. It is a fantastic representation of women's internal and external struggles due to society's expectations of how women should age. The vignettes also discuss the different root causes for why society has built such a negative attitude toward aging women.

This book is great for any girl or woman struggling with society's idea of beauty. I appreciate the way it discussed different issues in the cosmetic and plastic surgery industries without being preachy or one-sided. The book touches on why society pushes women toward cosmetic clinical procedures, especially plastic surgery, to encourage them to "look" younger. The story compilations are honest and forthcoming. We finally have a voice telling us it's okay to age and love who we are as we age.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://www.momsdonthavetimetoreadboo...

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

YES! Aging is a part of living. If you are blessed to live long enough to age, that's something to be embraced. Some choose to roll with it naturally, letting the signs of aging show up without intervention. Others choose to intervene with the process in various ways to slow down or avoid the signs. No matter which "camp" you're in, as women we should not judge or assign value to each other based on our appearance and looks. We get enough of that already from our culture, society and most men. I loved the voices of all the different women in this book. The struggle is real.

[Emma Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I read something that reminded me that plastic surgery, fillers and Botox are not the default, that cutting into our older faces is not « normal ». Yet it doesn’t vilify women who chose to do so. It offers snippets in women’s stream of consciousness, little slices of experience, and it’s an absolute delight to read.

[Cheri Flake · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is important. This book is truth. Please very woman, listen up!

There is nothing wrong with your face! There is nothing wrong with your face! There is nothing wrong with your face! There is nothing wrong with your face! There is nothing wrong with your face! There is nothing wrong with your face! There is nothing wrong with your face!

Finally. Whew.

It’s true.

[Kelly Beer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just could not finish this book. I wanted to love it but instead of walking away feeling ok with the aging process, I walked away dreading it. I also felt like it judged those that had work done. Do what you want …it’s your body! It is none of my business what others do! If Botox and fillers make you happy…do it! If not…then don’t do it! It’s simple….never judge another human!!

[Evil Secret Ninja · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great look on aging in women and how it is perceived by women and society. I feel better about choosing to age gracefully and not give up my style just because I am a mother and I am getting older.

[Hannah]

Not for me (despite it being one of my fave topics that is all over my algorithms). Beyond the introduction, which I enjoyed and hope to remember to reread as I get wrinklier. didn’t connect unfortunately