Oh, Marc

 

@THEMARKJACOBS

I don't know if I would ever go for plastic surgery. I have only been on an operating table once in my life. And that was enough. I have this thing about hospitals. It may have to do with the fact that my both my parents had serious health issues after having surgeries. I don't know. Call it aversion, if you want, but I don't like hospitals.

But I can understand why someone would have plastic surgery. It's a very personal decision and a decision that only should involve the person getting the surgery and their doctor. Really. But there's truly a stigma attached to people who go under the knife for esthetic reasons: they're consider vapid and spoiled and privileged. I think that if they decide to go for a nip and tuck and have the means, well, they should do it.

I'm 58 years old. I don't think I look bad for 58 years old. I didn't feel like I had to do this, but I feel like all of these conversations around aging or around plastic surgery are just like any other conversations to me. The problem comes with the shame around them. And I don't want to live my life with shame, you know? I find that the way I do that is by being open, transparent, and honest about things. Yes, I’m vain. I find there is no shame in being vain. I find there's no shame in wanting attention. I find there's no shame in getting dressed up and showing off a look. You know what I mean? Those are some of the things that give me pleasure. Self-care on every level, whether it's spiritual self-care or meditation, or whether it's getting my hair dyed and cut, or spending two hours at JINSoon getting my nails done…those are all part of wellness for me. External and internal wellness are really important. I say the same thing about all of it, which is that the better I feel about myself, the better I'm able to be to others.

MARCJACOBS

This. This a thousand times. The thing is, cosmetic surgery is a deeply personal choice. I like that he does not mind being called vain and I can see why. Some people find self-improvement deeply tied to being vain but would it be vain to pay for a personal trainer to motivate us to jump on a treadmill? Oh, it's because it has to do with 'health' and not with 'beauty'. Bullshit. Both have to do with self-care and that's important to many people. People who use the 'health' excuse to accept some things and not others are full of it.

I think that Jacobs going VERY public with his surgery is a step in the right direction. It does not matter that I am not planning on getting surgery myself. It's not about me. It's about him. It's about him doing something that people do in secrecy and shame (does it sound familiar?) but that indeed a lot of people do. Or do you think that Ryan Gosling hasn't had some kind of 'adjustment' done to his nose? Or that your favorite movie star/musician hasn't had some procedures done? What about your best friend? Is he suddenly sporting a full head of hair when there was some alopecia going on a few months ago? And what does that mean to you? People who improve their physical appearance should not be shamed because they want to look, well, good. It is their choice and it is their body. I take vitamins and Fish Oil and make sure I wash my face every night because I care about myself. Same reason why I get my ass out of the house in the morning for a quick run even when I don't want to get bundled up because it's 35 degrees outside. I take care of myself because it makes me feel good. 

And if I had all that money and all that time, I think I would do surgery, too. Why the hell not? The only problem is that I am terrified of hospitals, I cringe at the thought or a syringe and I have low tolerance to pain (just thinking about getting a tattoo makes me wince), so I'm not a good candidate for an invasive procedure that requires a lot of downtime (and can use a hyperbaric chamber). But I think there's no shame in wanting to look good. I think Marc looks like a refreshed version of himself. Do I think he needed the surgery? Probably not. But he looks good. It probably has to do with the fact that he chose a highly skilled professional to do the procedure, too. There is no shame on wanting to just let time and gravity do their thing. Some people do not have the means or the patience to go through something like a facelift. Neither thing is better or worse. It's just a personal choice that can be driven by having the means to do it. 

So kudos to Marc for being so upfront and not giving a damn about what people may think. If there were not a stigma about surgery I think more people would be willing to accept they have some work done. As an aging quasi-Twink model, I can relate to the idea of seeing ageing as both a badge of honor and as something we approach with some trepidation:

People have always been very youth oriented. If you ask most older people how they want to look, they don't say they want to look old. You know? I mean, youth has always been what people aesthetically want to achieve. There's no disgrace in being old or looking old. It's just a choice to want to look younger. I don't think there's any disgrace in that. 

MARCJACOBS

Some people choose to 'age gracefully'. Some people choose to 'fight it all the way'. And there's no 'right' way to go about it, really. But there should not be any kind of stigma attached to either paying a good sum to look like a better version of yourself or just let time do its thing and not worry about it. If it makes you happy and you're not hurting anybody, do it. That's my mantra.

XOXO