I thought [the Internet response] was completely bizarre and really aggressive, and it infiltrated the zeitgeist in such a powerful way in such a short amount of time — and she looks amazing, first of all. Second of all, she acknowledged her position, and I thought she did it in an intelligent and classy way. And third of all, so what? You know what I mean? Who’s not getting work done? Who’s not trying to bend to the unrealistic expectations of women when they’re young, let alone when they’re older? I thought she did it in a really bold and beautiful way. I think she looks amazing and if she’s happy, then shut the fuck up, everybody.”
— Zachary Quinto, chatting with Cosmo, joins celebs such as Rosie O’Donnell in defending the new look of Renee Zellwegger
Cam
“”And third of all, so what? You know what I mean? Who’s not getting work done?”
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Um, pretty much most of the country outside of Hollywood.
As for addressing it in a classy way, no, she just said she looks different because people haven’t seen her when she is healthy and happy.
If Zellweger wants to get surgery no problem, she can do whatever she wants, but if she showed up with pink hair and a nose ring people would have noticed and nobody would be attacking them for noticing. She did the same thing, she got surgery that completely transformed her face, making her extremely difficult to recognize, then walked a red carpet posing for “Look at Me” shots, and people are supposed to pretend that they don’t notice? Readers of articles had to be told who she was. It’s interesting that a shallow industry that has massive problems with body image and is youth obsessed is trying to make a victim of that thought process into some sort of feminist hero for falling into the usual trap prevalent in Hollywood. Perhaps people like Quinto should be cheering the people that DON’T succumb to the pressure, and don’t send out the message that aging is somehow disgusting, or that not being anorexic is somehow not the norm.
Again, Zellweger is free to do what she wants, but how about instead of pretending she is some pioneering feminist hero we instead recognize women that do NOT fall into the surgery trap. How about applauding…
Jamie Lee Curtis
Kim Basinger
Diane Keaton
Dana Delany
Meryl Streep
Emma Thompson
Sharon Stone
Julianne Moore
Julia Roberts
Sandra Bullock
Or are they just disgusting old ladies because they haven’t let a scalpel make them unrecognizable?
Beachhouse
@Cam: Well said!
Gothrykke
@Cam: Bravo.
Alan down in Florida
I think Cam severely underestimates the percentage of non-Hollywood types are having work done – not that there’s anything wrong with that.
enfilmigult
And I think Cam severely overestimates his abilities to be able to tell whether someone has gotten work or not…especially considering that list is of ladies who more or less look the same as they did twenty years ago (think about it).
SteveDenver
I haven’t read anything about her take on this: does she want to continue acting?
Plastic surgery has ended a few careers. The one that comes to mind is when Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing) had her nose done. Suddenly she wasn’t a unique face. Other than that, she doesn’t look bizarre, like Kenny Rogers or Burt Reynolds.
Matthew Rettenmund
@Cam: I agree with much of what you say, but I would argue that none of the women you listed have NOT had any plastic surgery. Jamie Lee Curtis had boobs installed and has spoken of having done stuff before deciding to stop. Kim Basinger and hello Sharon Stone have very obvious surgical work. Just because people like Julianne Moore look gasp-inducing beautiful and natural, that does not mean they haven’t had surgery.
The real issue is that Renée Zellweger has no reasonable expectation that looking VERY different (not an age or gender thing as Quinto and others try to make it) won’t cause people to notice. Especially when she is appearing on a red carpet and posing for the cameras. She is inviting the public to see and form opinions on her. Is it gross to beat her to hell for what is an obvious eye job (at minimum; her lids are basically gone now compared to before)? Yes! But it’s also ridiculous for her response to be that she’s healthy and rested. Maybe she is, but she certainly had her eyes very dramatically reshaped. She would’ve been cool to reply, ‘Yeah, I had my eyes done. Who cares?”
Chris
I am starting to lose count of how many bloggers, media types and (of course) so-called A-B-and-C-listers have written or said something in “defense” of Zellweger’s cosmetic surgery and/or her so-called right to one.
Except for a couple of scoffing remarks about her claims that her new look is due to diet and exercise and to her now feeling good about herself and except for a few more responses that she’s homogenized her looks and lost what made her look-as-an-actor unique, I’ve not read anything attacking her looks or even snarky about her having has a procedure.
The defenders doth protest too much. No one’s writing or saying anything except that she looks different. Get over yourselves and get over this non-event.
Cam
@Matthew Rettenmund:
Hi Matthew, with Curtis, she said that she had botox and it made her look weird, she’s always had breasts I believe.
I posted a comment with a huge number of links to photos of what all of those women look like now showing that they are aging, but for some reason Queerty flagged it. And as we all know, Queerty never releases comments once they’ve been flagged, they just sit there in limbo forever.
Cam
@Chris: said… “The defenders doth protest too much. No one’s writing or saying anything except that she looks different. Get over yourselves and get over this non-event.”
________________________________
You’re absolutely right, it seems like a desperately well organized response because they are terrified that people might say something that will then spread out to all the other people in Hollywood who have had surgery and look ridiculous.
Uppity
@Cam: Sandra Bullock’s had a nose job, Sharon Stone’s had her eyes done, and Kim Basinger had breast implants. Those are the three I definitely know about. So some of the others in your list have probably had work done too.
Cam
@Uppity: Sharon Stone hasn’t had eye work because that is one of the ones that really changes your opinion, in fact she has been interviewed multiple times about how she has turned down lifts multiple times.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2381373/Sharon-Stone-55-reveals-battle-surgeons-knife.html
The main point of my comment is still that people keep trying to make out Zellwegger as some sort of brave hero and I’m saying that all she did was succumb to typical Hollywood pressure and her surgeon obviously went too far. Nothing heroic there. And the manufactured defensiveness seems false.
LeavingPhilly
Sandra Bullock went through a period of major metamorphosis where she started to look asian, she kept fucking with her eyes so much. And yes she had a big nose job.
Renee Zellweger probably just went to rehab and had an eye job. I agree she looks good. Quinto’s point is that the majority of Hollywood does it, and does it far worse. I think Renee looks great.
man5996853
“The main point of my comment is still that people keep trying to make out Zellwegger as some sort of brave hero and I’m saying that all she did was succumb to typical Hollywood pressure and her surgeon obviously went too far.”
Yes. There are still a couple people trying to make her out as some sort of “brave hero” while the other 99% of commenters are crucifying her. Your listed a group of women, all of whom have had nips and tucks, however minor they might’ve been or however subtle the work appears. Your attempt to present these brave women who scoffed at Hollywood’s demand that they appear forever young fell flat.
vive
She still looks 45, though. This was more of a witness protection facelift. What’s the point of that?