As if it isn’t hard enough for female actresses to age gracefully in the limelight, now there’s more to worry about than just how their age affects the amount of leading roles they’re offered in Hollywood. If they aren’t being criticized for their bodies or the inevitable changes that come with aging, now female celebrities in the spotlight have to contend with a new kind of shaming, Botox shaming, or the “what did she do to her face?” chatter that has plagued stars like Renée Zellweger and Nicole Kidman.
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In a recent article titled “Ageless Gillian and the BotoX Files,” The Daily Mail assembled a panel of plastic surgery experts to analyze a photo of Gillian Anderson from the The X-Files reboot. According to their speculation, the 47-year-old star has undergone Botox in the forehead, filler in her lips and cheeks, a skin-tightening procedure on her neck, a chin lift and eyelid surgery. Juxtaposed next to the dissected image is a photo of the star during her original stint on The X-Files 20 years ago.
If it weren’t so sad, this bollocks would have made my day. https://t.co/UHAg2pMTxL pic.twitter.com/ruOfIjr3eh
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) February 11, 2016
Anderson took to social media to defend her aging face. Tweeting an image of the article she wrote, “If it weren’t so sad, this bullocks would have made my day.” She went on to tweet a recent picture of her face that prominently shows her lines and wrinkles and stated, “This is how I really look.”
This is how I really look! #agingwithoutshame pic.twitter.com/0BmSZSKiuH
— Gillian Anderson (@GillianA) February 12, 2016
Without coming out and directly blasting the publication, she has given a perfectly appropriate response to an inappropriate topic. Whether or not the star has actually undergone a procedure, the decision to have any cosmetic treatments such as Botox, Dysport, Xeomin, dermal fillers, skin tightening or plastic surgery is private and personal and there shouldn’t be any shame or ridicule associated with the choice to make aesthetic improvements as you age.