Last weekend, we watched the latest edition of celebrity Come Dine With Me on Channel 4. Not only was it a train crash of a show with Janice Dickinson, the self-proclaimed first ever supermodel, it was also starring Samantha Fox, ex-page three topless model-turned soft rock music star having sold 30 million albums worldwide.
The reason I mention this is because Sam Fox mentioned in one dinner discussion tht she bared her breasts for her modelling career at the age of 16. Janice Dickinson’s response was even more hyper and animated than usual (which is going some) as she mentioned that her daughter was 16, still a baby and she’d never let that happen to her… Her botoxed face almost got an expression differing to inane, she was incensed.
This is what so many people think of their teenagers… That they are precious and need to live their lives before going adult… And that brings me on to the bulk of todays blog, something that verges on getting me incensed, though with me, you’d be able to tell from the expression on my face…
In the US, according to various sources, including this article at CBS, teen singing sensation Charice Pempengco has just let the world know that she has had Botox treatment and facial resurfacing so she can “look fresh on camera” for her debut on a television series. This is her, looking fresh faced…
This may not sound like an unusual story until you find out that she is 18 years old!!
Yes, just 18 years old and having botox.
18??!!
The singer is a native of the Philippines who has become popular in the US following appearances on “The Ellen DeGeneres” and “The Oprah Winfrey ” shows and as a result,m she is soon going to start filming for the hit song and dance show “Glee”.
This kind of thing drives me mad.
Many may well think that “Glee” is a show that embraces diversity. The cast does represent a range of minorities in terms of shape, ability, ethnicity and sexual orientation. However, the plastic surgeon that administered the Botox, Dr. Vicki Belo has said in interviews that she used Botox to narrow Charice’s round face. Then Charice added in a statement that she wanted to be able to compete with the show’s lead, Lea Michele.
What?? Are we supposed to promote and celebrate diversity as long as that diversity pertains to the right shaped face??
Now according to figures given by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, a grand total of 11,889 individuals aged 13-19 years received Botox injections in the US in 2009.
WHy oh why is it that so many teen girls think they are not pretty enough?
This girl Charice is quite obviously very talented. She has won singing competitions based on her talent. She has won a role on a hit television series based on her singing and acting ability (and perhaps because of her looks, instead of in spite of them). Yet given her colossal success, she still felt she wasn’t good enough… Where are the adults who advise her? Parents? Teachers? Professionals in the field? Where are people showing her how to increase her self-esteem, her self-assuredness and giving her emotional sustinence that ensures she does not feel the need to get botox at the age of 18?
Shouldn’t someone be explaining to teenagers that time is incredibly precious? That this time that is spent consumed with looks and comparisons could actually be spent having fun, learning new things, exploring interests, being creative, socialising with friends of a similar age and so on. Has anyone looked at how dysfunctional so many adults are today that spent their childhoods being stars consumed in an adult world? Cue Michael Jackson, Britney Spears and co.
I truly hope that Charice enjoys her talents, gets to know who she really is, gets grounded in reality and looks back upon her latter teenage years with a sense of joy and a mind filled with happy memories, regardless of any concern she may have had about her looks.
Ok, I am off to get a botox-fuelled smile injected onto my face for a fortnight to deal with how this story has got me… 😉
