Opinion: Renee Zellweger and the 'double bind' aging women confront – Los Angeles Times
It has been every week since we had been all confronted with Renee Zellweger’s dramatically completely different look. By now, the pendulum has already swung from shock to condemnation to accusations of betrayal. (She was the common and relatable one!) Time to take a breath and focus, initially on how merciless her enterprise might be: cute at 26, “Get us Renee Zellweger!”; not so cute at 35, “Get us a brand new Renee Zellweger!”; and now at 45, “Who’s Renee Zellweger?” Nicely, if nothing else, nobody is asking the final query anymore. Or possibly we’re.
Then once more, why shouldn’t she be confused and overwhelmed? On this, she is each bit as common and relatable as ever. It’s troublesome for most individuals to mature with grace on this youth-crazed society, the place there may be not a product in sight that’s pro-growing old. However nothing might be more durable than doing it in entrance of the world. Girls, specifically, really feel the implications and, face it, few — Julia Louis-Dreyfus maybe the comfortable exception — look higher as they become old. (Whereas George Clooney, Pierce Brosnan and Richard Gere certainly do.)
How the actresses cope with these points is ever fascinating and infrequently disturbing.
I watched a pair of TCM interviews just lately: one with Eva Marie Saint and the opposite Kim Novak. The previous appeared pure and effectively, her age, 90. The latter — effectively, we all know what Novak looks like now. However earlier than harsh judgment, recall, that Novak’s whole id was based mostly on her magnificence, whereas Saint was recognized extra for her expertise. It ought to come as small compensation for individuals who really feel that the beautiful ladies get all of the breaks. They do, however they usually have a more durable time in a while.
I co-wrote a e book on serving to girls age with a psychologist, Vivian Diller, who focuses on treating many fashions and dancers as they age out of their professions. I requested her about Zellweger’s therapy final week and he or she stated, “Girls underneath the highlight wrestle with a double bind: don’t do work and they’re criticized for wanting previous. However once they do get work performed, they’re judged for having given in.” Diller guarantees that even many younger beauties she treats really feel both insecure or suspicious that the one cause they’re desired is due to their seems to be.
For many people — even out of the general public eye — these are actual considerations. The place does our feminism go away off and our narcissism start? How does the Eternally Younger technology come of age with integrity?
I suffered actual psychological repercussions after some neck/chin beauty work, so I empathize with anybody who has her personal very private causes for making adjustments that will actually symbolize how they really feel inside.
I additionally get that this stuff don’t quantity to a hill of beans in a world stuffed with illness, famine, wars and gun violence. But, clearly persons are incessantly and even merciless. Go away Renee Zellweger’s new face alone.
Michele Willens is a contract author whose work has appeared within the New York Instances, the Every day Beast and the Atlantic. She additionally edited “FACE IT: What Girls Actually Really feel As Their Appears to be like Change.”
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