Toronto, Canada – There have been few stars that have shined as brightly in recent years as that of Megan Fox. Her rise to fame in the blockbuster ‘Transformers’ franchise has taken her from sitcom second banana to full-fledged celebrity, scoring her massive paydays and virtual pandemonium wherever she appears. Part of that success has no doubt been her ability to deliver lines and meet her marks on set, but much of it has to do with looks. Long black hair, sufficient chest, and healthy curves have ensured a status reserved for very few in Hollywood.
Of course not everyone feels the same way. Fox’s dearth of roles outside the ‘Transformers’ films has been a jarring reminder for many that even in Hollywood looks aren’t everything. Her limited selection of films, due in large part to reticence from Hollywood officials, has limited her already rambunctious public profile. now though her one greatest asset may be starting to show signs of wear as a growing group of people are starting to find her less attractive and at least one man, who saw Fox at an appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival, voiced his belief that she was never all that great to begin with.
“I had that moment, especially that scene in the first Transformers movie when she was fixing the car, where I was like holy crap. Recently though I can’t help but think that she’s been totally overrated and it’s kind of turning me off to be honest. I can tell you too that a lot of my friends feel the same way,” said Mike Lee of nearby Markham. “It’s that weird thumb, partly, but it’s really her face. I mean she’s got a kickin’ body but lots of girls have that. It’s the face that really makes the girl and hers is just like so cold. It’s almost like a mannequin’s face rather than a human beings face. It’s technically pretty but I don’t know. I just can’t imagine waking up to that, especially after seeing her in person.”
It isn’t believed that Lee ever had a serious shot at waking up with Fox. He is apparently fine with that as he has a long-term girlfriend.
“Looks go a very long way in Hollywood and always will. It’s funny that she has a tattoo of Marilyn Monroe on her arm because in a lot of ways her career parallels Monroe’s. Both are pretty, both have limited acting skill, and both are very famous. so far the only difference is that Fox is still alive,” said Scrape TV Entertainment analyst Tracey Temple. “Of course Monroe was 36 when she died and Fox is only 23. She did get started earlier and that may come into play later on so Fox may in fact mimic Monroe’s career in more ways than one. the real risk here is if her looks start to fail she will have limited opportunities in the future, even more limited than she currently has.”
Marilyn Monroe was also largely defined by her personal life which involved marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller as well as a rumoured affair with President Kennedy. Fox has an on-and-off again relationship with former ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ star Brian Austin Green.
“Unfortunately in Hollywood who you date helps to define who you are. I don’t think anyone would compare Joe DiMaggio or Arthur Miller to Brian Austin Green in terms of looks but accomplishment is relevant. Had Green’s hip-hop career taken off things might be different but as it stands right now he really doesn’t stand up to those two,” continued Temple. “The real concern for Fox and her people is that there are limits to how much you can change your face and because there is still a stigma attached to plastic surgery she would have trouble maintaining her success if people really start to get sick of her face. I’d imagine that if people in Toronto are starting to get sick of her it may be happening in other cities around the world and that could lead to serious trouble for Fox and her future.”
Paparazzi photographers have reported lower earnings of late for pictures of Fox indicating that the concerns Lee voiced may in fact be more widespread than previously believed.
Samantha Dryden, Entertainment Correspondent
NEWS > ENTERTAINMENT > TORONTO MAN DOESN’T FIND MEGAN FOX ATTRACTIVE
My husband’s nintey-four year old grandmother is the most beautiful woman I know–both physically and spiritually. She glows with the love of God–not pricey creams and cosmetics. in return everyone loves and wants to be near her. Although she doesn’t eskew a weekly trip to the beauty parlor, her true beauty was developed through a lifetime of loving others out of devotion to Christ. She is a great example to me. thank you for this post.
My husband will be 72 in May and he still doesn’t look his age. Jet black hair sprinkled now with more gray in it. he works out everyday by taking a 5 mile walk or a 3 mile walk. Works on an excerise bike, and a rowing machine. Cleans a church and still mows the lawn with hand mower and shovels with a regular shovel. sometimes he feels his age but he sure doesn’t look it.
Although the text of this article is encouraging, I think it would have been better served with a picture along the same lines, one which celebrated age rather than almost mocking it. there are at least a few Hollywood women who aged with grace and dignity (Honor Blackman and Katharine Hepburn being two).
It is definitely not a sin to look your age, but there is much to be said for taking time to care of your physical self, especially with good food and exercise (especially strength training. I am 43 and smack-dab in the middle of reconciling myself to the fading of my youthful beauty, which has always been modest at best. I want to internalize the fact that true beauty is not outward, while also maintaining as much physical attractiveness as is possible at “my age” (whatever age God allows me to reach).
I just turned 60 and I have the lines to prove it. I’ve looked after myself/my skin/my weight to a reasonable degree… not always as well as I should, but I am in reasonable shape.
I’ve looked at many other women being ‘augmented’ or botoxed or nipped, tucked or sucked and have thought a good deal about it.
I’m not about to say that the extremes of the beauty industry are ungodly, but there are times when I’ve wondered why we’re so afraid to show who we are. Women like Candice Bergen look so beautiful, with the beauty of maturity. Conversely, many women who have had various procedures look downright odd. I look at well known women on TV and think ‘who are you? what have you become?’
The once beautiful Goldie Hawn is a case in point. She looks completely freaky…
The need to spend all that money on what is tantamount to self mutilation (when people are starving to death even in western countries) is nothing but the downright desperation of women who are afraid of their own mortality.
Stay healthy and don’t worry about beauty. (age 55)
I appreciate this article and I so agree with Bev — the ones who get into plastic surgery begin to look quite odd. It seems to me (and this is just from observation) that plastic surgery can be addictive. You get something done and it looks better to you so you do it again and again and again. Aging is a gift in itself. We need to find that gift within all of its challenges.
The older woman in the photo would have been better portrayed minus the garish lipstick and pink feathers. that said, we can’t change the culture until we change the church. We mostly chase the same ideals of beauty and sideline the less attractive. (And I’ve been taught that Abraham’s biography was not written in the linear/chronological fashion we expect in the West and that Sarah was younger than 65ish.)
Michelle, I love this line : “As we affirm that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, we must include the reality that even our graying hair and sagging midsections proclaim God’s creativity and beauty in the same way a starry sky or a blooming rose does.”
Exactly. I have the body God gave me, and it sure looks different now than at birth or in college of just 10 years ago. I stay active and eat right but this body is not going to win me any awards in this world. That’s ok, though, since my Creator loves what he has made.
Thanks for helping us to remember that about others too, Michelle.
I have to disagree with the others; I like the picture chosen. most older women I know wear that kind of lipstick and she looks like a fiesty wonderful woman.
Maybe people aged slower during the Patriarch’s lifetimes than they do today? If you remember, people lived longer in Abram/Sarai’s time. She lived to be 127. the average life span now is around 75/80 years old, a fraction of life spans in early Genesis. For all we know, Sarai could have been the equivalent of her 30/40s when Pharaoh took her to be his bride. I don’t mind getting older and showing it. I’m in my early 40s, have a few gray hairs and a few wrinkles. my grandmothers went gray early and have/had lots of wrinkles so I feel blessed to look the way I do.
I’ve always thought desirability was as much about the twinkle in the eye and being “fully alive” as it was about skin tone.
That kind of beauty knows no aging.
I appreciate some of your thoughts in this article and I think it could spark some interesting discussion. however, I wonder if it takes the assumption that as women decay physically, they’re beautiful “just because.” I think the Bible talks about us not depending on our outward beauty because it does eventually disappear; and when it does, an even lovelier inward beauty should be revealed for others to see. I know a few 60+ women who are simply lovely…and the inside can’t be separated from the outside, because it’s the whole of them that is beautiful.
But growing in the beauty of the Lord doesn’t happen automatically. Unfortunately, I know more many older women who don’t inspire me at all. and frankly, they’re unattractive because of what I do see…
I was just imaginging what it would’ve been like to be in your church when the reaction to those remarks came. Wow. Honestly, some of the most beautiful people I have known are older. Mi abuela who died at 88 and this wonderful lady named Helen in Huntsville, Texas who is part of my Renovare Institute cohort, is so beautiful. She is nearly 73.
I wonder if women (or men) like Demi who are often praised for their outer beauty feel lost when they’ve “lost” what they’ve been known for all along. It seems like a crisis of identity. I wonder if it’s the same for athletes no longer competing or pastors no longer ministering in the same fashion as they did when they were younger.
Your point stands and is well said. thank you!
Bravo! Well said. I am working on the inside of me, so that I don’t fall into this trap. It is so hard when the world bombards us with a different standard!!
I think it would have been helpful to mention the double standard which exits regarding older men and older women. It is much more accepted for men to age naturally and keep those leading man roles. Not so for women. also, in Europe, they do not seem to have the American obsession with youthfulness, as older actresses work longer in a variety of roles. come to think of it, even younger actors and actresses in Europe are not the picture perfect faux humans that we expect our actors, actresses and models, really anyone in the public eye, to be.
Michele Jinn’s comment on aging in Abraham and Sarai’s time seems an important point. They reportedly lived to be much older. I heard a sermon once from a pastor who inaccurately depicted the aged Moses as greatly diminished. the Bible says he was in top form until he died. We need to give writers more time to do their research.
Mother George was a Texan who became a missionary in Liberia, West Africa, and had a remarkably successful ministry and, although the structures of schools and churches were rugged, the lives changed were truly changed. in her 90′s she was in our home at lunch time but refused to eat because she was fasting. She had just been awarded a special high honor and medal but the president of Liberia and wore it around her neck over a most out-of-style dress. As she was walking down the stairs to leave, our 16-year old daughter said, “That is one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen.” No, not physically but her life overshadowed any imperfections.
Thank you, Michelle. I am 57, and look 57. I am glad. there is a lot I have gone through in life, many blessings, many trials, and I would like credit for every year lived. I am grateful for a family which put more value on life lived than appearance.
Amen! This has been a topic in my mind for quite some time, particularly after having a college professor years ago profess that she was going to ignore the must-stay-young-looking battle. She has, and she’s amazing. You don’t notice her age, because her vitality shines through any wrinkles, etc. and why do we hate wrinkles? I’m working on appreciating them: my laugh lines, my proofs that I’m a mom and someone who likes to smile, etc., should not be reason for shame.
“Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
I thank God for HIS word.
Well said. I think far, far too often, the church mimics the world at large, only tries to be a little nicer and put the God stamp on it thinking that makes it ok. It doesn’t.
“As we affirm that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, we must include the reality that even our graying hair and sagging midsections proclaim God’s creativity and beauty in the same way a starry sky or a blooming rose does.” Absolutely!!
What a great post, Michelle. I agree with what others have said about taking care of ourselves. But this celebrity/media-driven madness to look freakishly young at any cost is very, very sad. thanks for giving a larger framework from which to view this.
One of the things I love about older people is that they have the face they have “lived into,” rather than the face God gave them. As young people we have the luck of the draw, but age brings individuality, and a story, to our faces. I’ve always hoped I will turn out like some of the older women I know who have too many laugh lines to count.
This has also been brought home to me by, very occasionally, seeing an older person whose face I hoped not to have, where an emotion like dissatisfaction or self-pity is written very plainly.
Another thing about the double standard between men and women was brought home to me lately–and I think this is connected–the question of whether it’s OK to have a scar. according to the cultural paradigm, women are supposed to be flawless. No blemishes. If a man has a scar on his face it proves his active manliness, but if a woman has one it does nothing but detract from her beauty–according to the culture.
Well, I recently got a scar on my face. It’s quite visible though I expect it will fade somewhat. I got it in a minor farming accident while wrangling alpacas. and the more I think about it, the more I resent the notion that this is terrible and that it would have been better for me never to touch an alpaca. I would rather live a life in which I *do* things, darnit, rather than sit home and protect my flawlessness. the scar, like any other line in my face, is a story–and it’s a story I’m proud of, actually. As much as any man.
So, I see wrinkles the same way. If it were possible to put our faces safely in a box (C.S. Lewis’ “heart in a box” analogy comes to mind) and never do anything with them for seventy years, never smile at friends, kiss husbands and children, frown at the things that make us angry or furrow our brows with thought–and then get them out, flawless and shining, in our old age, would it be worth it?
We can assume that Sarah’s attraction 4000 years ago was “her brother’s” massive fortune. Tribal leaders married for financial gain, protection, and political alliances, not for personality or beauty. that was simply a polite fiction.
And, as a fascinating aside, in the U.S., it wasn’t until the last couple of decades that people put “love and mutual attraction” OR good looks near the top of the priority list, See the interesting 53-year study by four university researchers called “A half Century of Mate Preferences.”
It’s a sin to spend a fortune to NOT look your age.
Ballistic Championship Wrestling “Brink of Death 4″ December 4, 2010 – Rutland, OH
1. Phil Macchio vs. Donovan Tate – 1
Macchio’s doing insipid Karate Kid shtick and Tate enters to Jimmy Eat World, surely he’s a favorite among the collegiate crowd. Plagued by some of the worst amateur execution I’ve seen in a long time, i.e. sloppy rope running, beleaguered expressions, inability to properly apply the most basic of moves, brutally long extended side headlock sequence, etc.
2. Shawn Day vs. Zac Vincent – 2
Zac appeared to be wearing molds of Bigfoot’s feet and did a walking headstand to the ring? Day attempted Ibushi’s signature missed moonsault from the top into a standing moonsault with lackluster results. Day smiles while working, unsure on why, perhaps relief that he’s there and not county jail? The tribal design on Day’s trunks reeks of unoriginality. Vincent is an eyesore, the combination of his long, straight black hair and pale skin call to mind a partially nude Cher circa ’04 which makes his already troubling histrionics even more insufferable.
3. Bryan Cross vs. Cole Cash – 3
Cole looks like a fat bar dweller and is wearing an Alkaline Trio t-shirt. Cross chased Cash around ringside and one of the commentators said it was like a “race to Pizza Hut”. No kidding. they have a strike exchange on the floor that won’t make the NOAH undercard guys fear their spots. These guys were former partners, and this is for BCW’s main title, so it has a bit more backstory than what preceded it. Cross looks like a guy that grew up with posters from Hit Parader all over his bedroom wall. Cole won it with a Burning Hammer I dubbed the Smoldering fly Swatter.
4. Carpet Strips Texas Death Match: Bildo vs. FreakShow – 4
Bildo’s a fat fucking creep. He comes out and some elderly lady jaws with him and he steals her bottle of water and every time she goes to grab it he pulls back mockingly teasing her like a canine. Freakshow’s head looks like an elephant took a dump on his shoulders but at least he smiles and is presumably self-aware about how ridiculous this all is. Bildo does throw a manly punch, none of those ’80′s wrestling-style shots, he just balls his fist up and bashes it into your skull. Too often in wrestling basic strikes aren’t even attempted to look hurtful but here both big men really lay in their shit and everything thuds and thwacks with girth. The Texas Death element of the stipulation seemed unnecessary and dragged this out. this is repugnant. Bildo gives FreakShow a Samoan drop onto a casket made of carpet strips. whoever invented carpet stripes would likely hang himself if he saw his helpful household products used in such lunacy.
5. Fans Bring the Weapons: mad Man Pondo vs. Danny Havoc – 3
How can the fans bring the weapons if there aren’t any fans? The miasma inside that gymnasium must have been noxious. Pondo actually has a valet who looks like his meth addicted niece wearing a Lost Boys shirt. Pondo can’t help but to harass the hothead grandma in the crowd, too. He grabs a Thing Hand (similar to Hulk Hands, remember those?) and says he wishes he could jam it up her old ass. it takes three or four country boy security guards to restrain her as she fights to get into the ring. I feel real crummy watching this. I hate to say it but Havoc is too good for this — he should at least be getting punched in the face by sweaty Samoans in JAPW. a squirt gun fight to open. I wonder if Hunter’s going to rip that spot for WrestleMania this year. Danny does a Jerry Lawler fistdrop wearing the Thing Hands. Less than 90 seconds in and we get a DDT on a barbwire 2X4. The improvisational element of these “fan bring the weapons” bouts isn’t quit as captivating as a great jazz soloist improvising an extended solo on his brass. Pondo’s been doing this shit for too long. I remember talking horror movies with him post-show in the late-’90′s after a deathmatch show here in Ohio. Pondo tries to give Havoc an enema with a giant barbwire crayon. I think if I was at the show the weapon I would have donated would have been a shotgun (in hopes they’d use it) or a barbwire Optimus Prime. one thing I hate about these matches is the finishes never seem as extreme or satisfying as the violence that precedes them. Post-match, damn it, I have to mention this, Pondo has a fake hand on a stick and uses it to jam into the crotch of the elderly lady at ringside, she desperately tries to get to the supply of light-tubes left nearby, all the while a young child cries in the background while my heart sinks.
6. Tai Pei & Panes of Glass: TJ Phillips vs. Viper – 5
Phillips looks like a gas station attendant with a Mickey Rourke-level plastic surgery bungle in his past. Pondo on commentary says TJ has “watched Japan shit” so I guess that’s a plus. I wonder if he’s a Punch the C fan? I wonder when a documentary filmmaker will discover that the zeitgeist of the American death match scene is so worthy of a feature film. The festival crowds love stuff about obscure subcultures and what’d be weirder to mainstream filmgoers than watching a bunch of grown men ruin their bodies and soiling their souls in-front of dozens for little pay and less respect. Tangent aside, this is some of the better stuff so far, Philips busts out a Togo-level back senton and some of the uses of glass are clever and serviceable. Viper’s lost weight. Probably the cocaine diet. I thought only Hollywood actresses did that? Pondo asks, “How’s his nipples look, Viper, how’s his nipples look?” try as I might I can’t help but love a big, gnarly, completely unnecessary garbage bump, i.e. Viper being tossed off the apron onto a plate of glass bridged between chairs. I’ve been having to watch this show in small chunks over an extended amount of time as it’s been eating away at my soul. I’ve lost count of the glass bumps. There’s more glass scattered around than you’d final total in a Chicago skyscraper. Viper is called the “hometown hero”. That’s the best you’ve got, Rutland, OH? Isn’t there a fireman or Blimpee employee or something with a clean record and low scar count that’d be better suited for that honor? Maybe a teacher or nurse? Nope. It’s Viper. finish was kind of cool, a sunset flip powerbomb onto another pane of glass bridged between chairs, this one in the ring, and underneath it a tray of salt. I hope nobody’s driveway needed de-iced.
7. Barbwre Trampoline & Loose Light Tubes: David Day vs. WHACKS – 4
These guys have broken so many lightbulb tubes I hope they had a Groupon. I will say this: that barbwire trampoline was fucking awesome. I congratulate whatever madmen built that. I’m sure Honma has one in his backyard in Yamagata for his kids to play with. Pondo buries Lady Gaga on commentary and while I don’t care about her poker face I wouldn’t be entirely opposed to giving her a glazed face. David Day must weigh 85lbs and WHACKS looks like Combo from Breaking Bad. The match-ending powerbomb on a light tube was pretty damn stiff and one of the better finishes so far.
8. Barbwire Boards: TJ Phillips vs. FreakShow – 3 9. Loose Light Tubes and Weapons: WHACKS vs. Danny Havoc – 2
The second round begins and I weep. Next match started pretty droll like a botany lecture and you’ve got a window seat and it’s nice outside and you’d rather be out there. It’s actually a sort of slower-paced brawl that kind of works for me. FreakShow has to be to most apathetic worker in the business. The finish was certifiably nuts as Phillips busted out a super-hurricanrana from the top out to the floor onto a makeshift barbwire table. there was nothing graceful about FreakShow’s big ass hurtling through the air and smacking onto the floor like a seal carcass. You could tell at this point that not only are the dozen in attendance tired and despondent but the guys no longer care either. Havoc and WHACKS didn’t seem like they could get on the same page, that can happen when one is reading Sherwood Anderson and the other a back-issue of Juggs (or is he a Lemon People guy?). biggest highlight for me was Havoc taking a Death Valley Driver onto a bed of upturned forks. WHACKS starts epically bleeding from his skull post-match and the ref throws up the infamous “X” symbol to denote an injury but then quickly realizes there’s no medical aid or even anyone remotely interested in helping or caring.
10. Alister fear vs. Hellaware Assassin – 1
I told myself I wasn’t going to take screenshots of this show as I’d spend all day snapping grotesque stills but this chance encounter between Alister fear and a young child and the kid’s subsequent Kevin McCallister facial is priceless. I assume these guys are related to the booker as they look like guys that change oil at Wal-Mart and not trained wrestlers. Assassin walked out looking like a D-grade Nick Gage but once the bandana is removed he has a kind face like a friendly uncle or cotton candy salesman at Magic Kingdom which completely kills his name/gimmick. The commentators keep calling Alister “McFear” and even make some obscure McDonald’s-related quips including a Mayor McCheese reference. I was always more of a Fry Kids fan but also partial to Birdie the Early Bird. all I know is Alister’s dick probably resembles a McRib. While I screen this match on my laptop my son Owen is watching Blue’s Clues — is something wrong with this picture? I’m sure Hellaware’s weapon of choice the barbwire tennis racket will have its place in the eventual deathmatch museum… right next to W*ING Kanemura’s jockstrap. These guys do a pretty poor facsimile of a deathmatch.
11. Light Tube & Carpet Strip Ropes, 4 Corners of Pain: Danny Havoc vs. TJ Phillips – 4
They start out with some chain wrestling and Lou Thesz shits his adult diaper — oh, wait, he was going to do that anyway? Never mind. While I’m watching this I start listening to the Ian Rotten meltdown on the internet where Mickie Knuckles and J.C. Bailey’s dad take him to task and it begs me to ask: why aren’t we getting these people some help? Phillips’ vocal selling isn’t bad but it comes and goes. I wonder if those in attendance that sat through this disaster of an event share some sort of uncommon bond like men who served in war together?
September 12 2009
