RSSLAURA MERCIER ON AGING IN AMERICA
May 1, 2008
Laura Mercier is a very famous French makeup artist. She is most recognized in her field for her trademark “flawless face”. Her makeup line is available online as well as at many upscale department stores.
In this interview at PrimeTimeHealth, Laura Mercier talks about her mission to make American women feel good about getting older. She credits her French origins for her ability to see beauty everywhere, not only in the young.
It’s different in Europe, she says. Confidence, sensuality, character and personality play a bigger role in beauty.
Well, alright!! I agree.
Laura Mercier from the About page of her website
Detach Beauty from Youth
In America, we have linked the concepts of youth and beauty together so tightly that we can’t perceive one without the other.
It seems the older American women get the more confidence we wield in business and relationships, but the less secure we feel about our looks. “I find [American] women even more scared of aging,” observes Mercier. “I see more than 100 women a day when I do personal appearances and among 100 women, you know what? Not one will say ‘I feel great. I look great.’ “
Image linked to source page
Put It In Writing (If You Can)
I wouldn’t go back to who I was before I had wrinkles, even if I could. Not for a single second. Would you? Anyone who knows me knows that I might not have felt this way before I started writing this blog. In fact, when discussions of “Who would have plastic surgery?” came up, I was the first to say “I’d be the first in line”. And this was only 6 months ago!
One of the rewards of writing that has surprised me is that it forces you to decide how you feel about things. It’s very difficult to write something you don’t really believe in your heart. When I wrote about the Dove ads , I realized that My Deeper Self did not feel “I’d be first in line” about plastic surgery at all. I was amazed that I could know myself so poorly. It made me wonder what else I accept as true that is the reverse of what I actually believe. So much exists below our radar, doesn’t it?
Would I take the unwrinkled face if I could still be me, with my thoughts intact? Hm. First of all, it’s impossible so why agonize about it. Don’t think about what can’t be changed, as the little poem goes (you know, God grant me the serenity…) . Put something else in your head.
Linked to photo source page.
Me, Intimidated ? Not Since I Turned 40
We instinctively know that very young faces still have a lot of living to get through to finally know themselves. It is much harder to rock a woman over 40, and that groundwork is laid the minute you take a look at her. Michele Pfeiffer, Sally Field, and Maya Angelou know exactly who they are as human beings. Keira Knightley, Naomi Watts, and Rihanna are still too jittery.
I see women who have stuff done when they’re 40. I guess the best surgery is the one no one can notice – but who doesn’t feel a little sorry for Meg Ryan? It’s not because the media goes on so about how odd she looks that it becomes the only thing you notice.
It’s because if you knew her, you’d wonder how much personal strength the woman has. What was so wrong with her before the plastic work? It’s not my business, but if she couldn’t fully like herself the way she was, well, … this little doubt creeps in that says “Maybe I shouldn’t either.”
Linked to photo source page
Always be true to You
Does anyone really expect a 50 yr old to look 20? Women who try too hard seem a little desperate. Why is it so hard to just be happy with what we look like? Do the things you can do reasonably to preserve your appearance but don’t lose yourself.
Women spend enough time feeling that they don’t meet anyone’s expectations, but that’s because we think what we do is not enough. Only women sacrifice themselves like this. Neither men nor children do. We extinguish the fire in our blood for so long that we can’t even remember what used to light it.
We get treated the way we teach people to treat us. We are seen by others as we see ourselves. If we believe that we feel stronger and more vital than we ever have, that is the message others receive. If our message is to be apologetic for not looking 20 at 50, others hear that too.
Linked to photo source page.
Tune in to Your Deeper Self
Look in the mirror and see a confident, powerful, and compassionate woman. See a woman who is giving and creating a little more than she’s asking for in return, an idea she could not have understood 20 years ago. Be so proud to have reached the place you have. Others will see a face that radiates that achievement and the strength it took to get you there.
Do I think I look great, as Laura Mercier says we should? No. But I do feel great. As for the looks, well, I is what I is, and it’s OK better than OK.
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