Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Face Time

I do not have a problem with Renee Zellweger’s face. I have never had a problem with Renee Zellweger’s face. And I do not anticipate having a problem with Renee Zellweger’s face in the future. This is because Renee Zellweger’s face has never done anything to me personally, as a human being. I expect it to stay that way baring a chance encounter where we’re both bending down to pick up a package and her face smacks into my face, we laugh about it, decide to have a coffee to continue laughing and then become BFFs who laugh together to the irritation of all those around us over the in-joke of our faces smashing into each other that one fateful day. Otherwise, Renee Zellweger’s face and I have no relationship whatsoever.

But yesterday the entire fucking Internet couldn’t stop talking about its deep personal relationship with Renee Zellweger’s face. That’s the only reason I can think for all the fussing and worrying and tittering and squawking about Renee Zellweger’s face. Everyone on The Internet must know it personally and therefore it’s state of being is an integral part of everyone’s life. Otherwise, it would just be silly to monitor and scrutinize and compare and hypothesize so much about Renee Zellweger’s face.

Women in general and women in Hollywood in particular have become so accustomed to the world’s scrutiny of our faces, our bodies, our lives that we hardly think it unusual. Of course people are noticing and judging and clucking behind our backs. Of course. Nothing unusual about that. But you know what, it is unusual. It’s downright peculiar. What does it matter to you or me or the Shih Tzu that lives next door that something may or may not look a little different about Renee Zellweger’s face? How do whatever procedures that may or may not have been done to Renee Zellweger’s face impact my day-to-day life? Has it made me late for the bus? Did it make me bounce the rent check? Will it make me nachos for dinner? Nope, nope and – dammit – nope.

So what that Renee Zellweger’s face looks a little different. It’s her face. We’ve become so conditioned to judge ourselves and each other that we barely notice how unbearable that spot between the rock and the hard place we are wedged has become. We’re damned if we do (OMG, look at her face – pre-surgery), and damned if we don’t (OMG, look at her face – post-surgery). Now, I’m no fan of cosmetic procedures. I wish we lived in a society where we all felt comfortable enough in our own skin to just leave ourselves be. But I certainly don’t feel we should heap scorn on those who feel differently. Our perception of our beauty is so wrapped up in the cultural perception of our beauty that too often there is no distinction.

Which brings me back to Renee Zellweger’s face. Like I said, I have no problem with Renee Zellweger’s face. But I have a lot of problems with how we’ve all reacted to Renee Zellweger’s face.

5 comments:

  1. Franziska4:32 AM

    Personally I don't have a problem with cosmetic surgeries or what not. I don't care what people do to their body as long as I'm not involved in some way. Other than that...your body - your life - your choice!

    However I can understand why Ms Zellweger's face made such headlines. In her career she played iconic roles so of course her face is well recognised by a lot of people. That's why I can understand why people where so shocked. Ms Zellweger does look like a completely different person now! And to a degree we humans do have a voyeuristic nature and these media outlets simply make money out of it.

    Even if I personally don't care what anyone does to their face, I wouldn't have expected anything else just because this is a prime example for how the system "serves" human desires.

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  2. I agree with you to a point.

    I think her face matters precisely *because* its recent changes are (likely) the result of a culture that over-scrutinizes women's appearances.

    No, people shouldn't feel the right to criticize/mock a woman's choice to have cosmetic procedures done.

    However, a woman also shouldn't feel pressured have those cosmetic procedures in the first place.

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  3. All the attention to Renee Zellweger's face does seem ludicrous. It must be difficult for celebrity following tabloids to come up with new stories day after day. Frankly I'm a little surprised that they speculated so much about her face. Tabloids usually want something more titillating speculation, like whether Khloe Kardashian or Coco or Nicki Minaj have had butt implants or articles referring to the granny panties Renee Zellweger wore near the beginning of the movie "Bridget Jones's Diary". According to this 2001IMDb article, that movie scene contributed to a surge in sales of full brief panties. Ever since the movie tabloid stories on celebrities have referred to those panties, like in this article titled "Kim Kardashian shows off her black bra and Bridget Jones-style underwear in a sheer lace dress.
    Getting back to Renee Zellweger's face, I have always thought she looked like a certain relative of mine, still do, and think all there tabloid speculation regurgitated on the internet was mindless blather and tripe. To me she has always looked nice and still does, and I would never let someone else's idea of beauty affect my own perceptions. I think all there tabloid speculation regurgitated on the internet was mindless blather and that the scrutiny and judgmental scorn are tripe. I think people could find much better diversions from the reality of their lives than Renee Zellweger's face.

    http://www.full-brief-panties.blogspot.com/

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  4. Come on, is Renee Z. running from THE MOB or something? Cause I don't, or DO NOT recognize her at all. I keep searching and searching and I fail to find her. This is almost as bad as stupid Greta Van Susteren.

    All that being said, celebrities have never been my business, so I don't really give a fuck what they do. Just entertain me sometime, that's all.

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  5. Anonymous2:01 PM

    @Panty Buns
    A friend of mine had the chance to talk to people who write these articles for a major tabloid magazine from Germany. The company that my friend worked for hosted an event that these reporters covered. During the day she got to talk to some of the writers and they seriously told her that 85-90% of the stories that you read in those magazines are exaggerated or even completely made up. Whenever they quote an anonymous source or a "close family friend" - it's BS. Those sources NEVER exist. The magazines lie to generate interest. It's just a money-making-strategy to them. They don't care about anyone. And Renee Zellweger's face is just another opportunity for them. The Kardashians can wait another day.

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