GENETICALLY MODIFIED PEOPLE

I LOVE TO SEE side-by-side, inter-generational comparisons of women in the same family. It's rare to find any of great quality but artist/ photographer Ulric Collette has created quite a few in a series of his called Portraits Génétiques.
     My favorite one is pictured here. It's a 61 year old grandmother and her 12 year old granddaughter. It's so effective because they share so many facial similarities, i.e. face shape, eyes, nose, etc... Because of their similarities, it looks as if it's the same woman with half her face aged or rejuvenated by almost 50 years.
     I encourage you all to take a look at the rest of his work. Surely, you will find something else that you like. He also makes side-by-side comparisons between sisters, brothers, twin siblings, parents and their offspring whether they be male or female. It's a pretty cool project. You can see the rest at http://genetic.ulriccollette.com/.
     You should also take a look at this video posted on Vimeo that features my other favorite pairings:

ART GONE OLD - THE THREE AGES OF WOMAN (1905) by GUSTAV KLIMT

I AM FOND OF ART. I am fond of women. I'm also fond of exploring the effects that time has on us as human beings. Take all three of these things that I have a fondness for and toss 'em in a blender on "HI," and I am in Heaven. That is exactly where artist Gustav Klimt places me whenever I look upon what I consider to be one of his greatest masterpieces, The Three Ages of Woman (1905).
     It depicts a female child in the embrace of a beautiful, young adult woman in her prime and beside them stands a withered,  old crone with bowed head being held in one hand (perhaps lamenting over her lost youth). A little tragic, yes, but the beauty in this image is undeniable. It is as beautiful symbolically as it is aesthetically.
    I have yet to set my eyes on another work of art that has been able satisfy my thirst for female age progression. It's completely brilliant.

JUST A NOTE: The old crone in this painting was in fact inspired by one of Auguste Rodin's famous sculptures, The Old Courtesan. More on that later.

PRETTY GIRL TO PRETTY OLD GRANNY

AGE PROGRESSED images of attractive young women are few and far between on the web. Also, there are fewer still that are well crafted. Every once in awhile, I'll stumble upon one in my daily perusal of the web. Here's one that really impressed me. I added what I estimated her age to be in each frame.

     I wish I could tell you who the artist is that created these fantastic age progressions but the website that  I sourced them from credited them to AgingWithBeauty which, unfortunately, is a dead link.

    Whoever did these, kudos!

GGO Gem - Time Elapse of Woman Aging

HERE' A LITTLE GREAT GEM that I've known of for years. It's a 69-year time elapse of this attractive woman. She goes from debutante to granny in a matter of seconds. It's fantastic. It's pulled from a site called Playing with Time. Check it out.

How Famous Faces Are Aging - The Today Show

THIS IS AN OLD POST from The Today Show Web site. It posted past and present photos of various celebrities and had a plastic surgeon comment on whether that star has aged well and whether or not has tried fighting off aging with a little nip, tuck and injection. I found the surgeon's comments interesting and entertaining so I decided to share them with you. If you wish to see the full list of celebrities including the male ones, check out this link. If not, I've collected all the ladies for you here below:

Madonna, 51 (now 53)

In 1985 (left) and 2009

Is the Material Girl made of plastic? Almost. Madonna looks much younger than 51. Her cheeks are full, her neckline is sharp, and there are no wrinkles to be found. I believe she's had a facelift, Sculptra injections to her cheeks, multiple laser treatments or chemical peels, Dysport injections and possibly an eye lift.

Jane Fonda, 72 (now 74)

In 1967 (left) and 2008

Jane Fonda was recently quoted as saying she attributes her looks to 30 percent sports and nutrition, 30 percent genes, 30 percent good sex and 10 percent plastic surgery. With her sharp jawline, elevated brows, and wide-open eyes, this 72-year-old-star, in my opinion, has had a facelift, browlift, and eyelid lifts. I’d estimate her looks are from 30 percent genes, 20 percent sports and nutrition, and 50 percent plastic surgery. It takes more than Jane Fonda’s workout to look this good for this long.

Andie MacDowell, 51 (now 53)

In 1992 (left) and 2009

Unlike many 50-year-old actresses and models, Andie MacDowell appears to be completely natural, except for maybe a touch of Botox here or there and possibly skin tightening laser treatments such as the Cynosure laser facial. Her face is smooth and likely reflects a lifetime of avoiding the sun, taking care of her skin, and undergoing preventive treatments.

Cindy Crawford, 43 (now 46)
In 1990 (left) and 2009

The prettiest woman of the past two decades still looks amazing. Cindy Crawford is really a Super Role Model for aging gracefully. She looks barely five years older than she did in the early 1990s. Her skin remains flawless. She may have had some minor skin tightening treatments such as the new eMatrix by Syneron, but other than that it appears her looks are due to TLC and not the OR. If only we could all age like her!

Courtney Cox, 45 (now 47)
In 1996 (left) and 2009

This cougar has done everything she can to stay looking young. Courtney Cox is clearly “Friends” with a plastic surgeon. In addition to possible chemical peels like the Obagi Blue Peel, she also appears to have had her lips plumped up, likely with a filler such as Juvederm. Her cheeks also appear a bit fuller, which could be due to fat grafting or Sculptra injections. Her skin is so smooth and flawless, I bet she’s received millions to try the skin care product she represents, Kinerase. Finally, in my opinion, her forehead exhibits the smoothness that only Botox or Dysport can provide.

Diane Keaton, 64 (now 66)
In 1979 (left) and 2008

Diane Keaton looks like a normal 64-year-old woman. Her eyelids are getting heavy, her neckline is a bit loose, and her hair is graying. While I wouldn't say she looks young for her age, she remains an attractive woman. I doubt she's had any work done at all. At least she looks better than her "Annie Hall" co-star Woody Allen!

Ellen Barkin, 55 (now 57)
In 1996 (left) and 2009

 Ellen Barkin looks better than 99 percent of 55-year-old women. Is that because of genes, preventive skin care, or plastic surgery? I would bet a bit of all three are involved in keeping this Golden Globe-nominated actress looking young. Her brows appear higher today than they were back in 1996. This could be due to an endoscopic browlift. Her eyelids also look more open than they did 14 years ago, possibly due to upper eyelid lifts. Her skin is extremely smooth, and may have had help from skin tightening treatments such as the Cynosure Smartskin Laser. Also, do her lips appear that they are getting larger with time, possibly due to lip injections such as Prevelle?

Jessica Lange, 60 (now 62)
In 1976 (left) and 2009

Jessica Lange’s appearance seems to have changed drastically over the past couple years. This is most evident in her eyebrows, which are more arched than most runway shoes. I would bet that a combination of Botox and an overdone brow lift are to blame. Her eyelids are also excessively tight for a woman her age, a possible consequence of upper and lower eyelid lifts. Her cheekbones also appear higher than they were back in 1976, and may be the result of cheek implants. Overall, I think this Academy Award winner would still look like a winner if her brows were a bit lowered.

Joan Van Ark, 66 (now 68)
In 1987 (left) and 2008

Joan Van Ark unfortunately looks like a wax figure version of herself. Her skin is too tight, her lips look overly plumped, her eyebrows are too high, and her jawline is excessively sharp. I would attribute her unnatural appearance to multiple deep chemical peels, lip implants, a browlift, upper and lower eyelid lifts, a facelift, Botox and filler injections. Moderation and using a surgeon who’s a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons are the keys to looking good with plastic surgery. I doubt she’s followed these rules. At least her hair looks fabulous.

Susan Sarandon, 63 (now 65)

In 1995 (left) and 2008

Although Susan Sarandon recently split up from her much younger beau, Tim Robbins, this 63-year-old has always looked as young as him. Like a handful of other serious actresses of her generation, she appears to have resisted the plastic surgeon’s knife and looks great due to a combination of good genes and great skin care. Her skin is smooth, but not overly smooth, and she has all the wrinkles of a woman her age, just not in excess. Even in her sixth decade of life, this timeless beauty looks good enough to play Thelma OR Louise.

Julie Christie, 68 (now 70)

In 1965 (left) and 2008

Is Academy Award-winning actress Julie Christie really 68? You wouldn’t know it, given how great she looks. In my opinion, Christie, is one of the best examples of good plastic surgery in Hollywood. I believe she’s had her eyelids done, a facelift, and fat injections to her cheeks. These procedures can result in the sharp neckline, youthful eyes, and soft cheeks that she displays with such glamour. The fact that she is a classic Hollywood talent only adds to how fantastic she looks. Her plastic surgeon should get his own Academy Award.

Meg Ryan, 48 (now 50)

In 1998 (left) and 2009

America’s sweetheart has become almost unrecognizable in recent years. Meg Ryan’s lips look excessively puffy. I believe they’ve been enhanced with a permanent implant, such as Gortex. This substance can cause the lips to look big, stiff, and unnatural. They’re usually placed by threading it through the lips via small incisions. She also appears to have possibly had cheek implants, causing her to look a bit bulgy. The good thing is that both lip and cheek implants are completely reversible, taking only a 20-minute surgery. If she really wants big but natural-appearing lips, I would recommend that she remove whatever implant she may have, and replace it with fat.

Meryl Streep, 60 (now 62)

In 1980 (left) and 2009

When you are as good of an actress as Meryl Streep, you don’t even need to consider having plastic surgery. Streep may not be the youngest-looking actress, but who cares? She’s one of the few aging Hollywood actresses who doesn’t seem to have any problem developing wrinkles, loose skin and even some early jowls. While I bet she’s getting some nice mild chemical peels, such as the AFA Clay Peel, I doubt that she’s doing anything more than these ‘lunchtime’-type treatments. Kudos to her.

Nicole Kidman, 42 (now 44)

In 1997 (left) and 2009

Nicole Kidman’s face appears to be morphing by the month. Some days I think she’s had her lips plumped, other days I think she’s had her forehead Botox’ed. Overall, I believe she’s had both of these treatments, in addition to injections of filler such as Sculptra into her cheeks. In some people, aggressive Botox injections can create an overarched eyebrow, which I’ve called a Botox brow. While I don’t see it in this photo, I’ve seen it in others, including one on my blog www.celebritycosmeticsurgery.blogspot.com. In my opinion, less is more for Kidman.

Olivia Newton-John, 61 (now 63)

In 1980 (left) and 2008

It appears that ‘80s beauty Olivia Newton-John is “Hopelessly Devoted" to a cosmetic injectables. Her face looks unnaturally plumped up, possibly due to fat grafting or injections of Sculptra. Her lips appear to be enhanced as well, likely due to a filler such as Restylane or Juvederm. Her forehead is very smooth, excessively so for a woman who is 61 years old.

Priscilla Presley, 64 (now 66)

In 1968 (left) and 2009

If Elvis could see Priscilla Presley now, he’d be “All Shook Up.” A couple years ago, she admitted to undergoing silicone injections from a phony doctor causing her to have a terrible result. Today she doesn’t look anything like the classic beauty she was just 15 years ago. Her skin is so smooth, it almost looks like it has a waxy sheen, a possible result of excessive laser treatments. Her lips and cheeks appear over-plumped, possibly with fat or another filler. Her forehead is excessively taut, maybe the result of too much Botox.

Sharon Stone, 51 (now 53)

In 1994 (left) and 2009

Why is Sharon’s face as smooth as a Stone? While I don’t believe she’s had any actual plastic surgery, it is quite possible that her youthful appearance may be aided by medical grade skin care, such as La Roche Posay, with some chemical peels or laser treatments, like the Jessner’s Peel. She is aging very gracefully, with none of the obvious alterations of many of her Hollywood peers. In fact, she’s aging so well, maybe we’ll see a “Basic Instinct 3.”

Sheryl Crow, 47 (now 50)

In 1996 (left) and 2009

All Sheryl Crow wants to do is have fun and avoid the plastic surgeon's knife. She looks great, especially for a 47-year-old breast cancer survivor. Her skin is clear and smooth, and she doesn't show any obvious signs of plastic surgery. She is aging very gracefully. I have one recommendation for Sheryl: Do not "Soak Up the Sun." Stay in the shade and wear sunblock to continue looking as good as you do.

New Art of Woman Aging

Friend of mine, who shall remain anonymous, created this image at my request. Isn't it awesome?

GGO News: No Face Work for Pamela Anderson

Baywatch alum, Pam Anderson was recently quoted as saying that she's not planning on ever getting any plastic surgery done in her future. She said, "It’s a personal choice. I think it was much more popular in the 80s. People are doing injections and Botox now, which I’m not really interested in. Everyone is telling me I should but I don’t care! I want to see what I look like when I get old."
     If that's the case, she should take a look at this Worth1000 artist's vision of her. IMHO, she'll be lucky if she ages as well as the Pam Anderson in the picture.

You can read more about it here:
CARTER: Pam Anderson Says No to Botox

REFLECTIONS

Here are three photos from a series called "Reflections" by photographer Tom Hussey. They feature mature women with their younger selves reflected in the mirror. I think that it's so well done.

GGO News: Ricci's Fear of Showing Scary Old-Face

It seems that Christina Ricci is the oldest member of the cast of ABC's Pan Am and is afraid of coming off as looking old and scary on HD TV. The 31-year-old actress was quoted as saying as much by The Telegraph:

Telegraph.co.uk: Christina Ricci Defines vintage


Please excuse my poor attempt at aging someone with Photoshop. Chester and Youthdrain were both unavailable and so I did the best that I could.

PRETTY GIRL 2 PRETTY GRANNY

Thank the powers that be for the existence of Photoshop and the talented people out there whose vision and art skills allow us all to peer into the future! Here's a prime example of what I'm talking about. Maxbee, a talented member of the Worth1000 community, created this bute of a self-portrait, envisioning herself 50 years down the line. Brilliant work!!! Pretty girl makes for a pretty old lady.

ART GONE OLD - THE WORKS OF TIP TOLAND

"Milk for the Butter Thief"
2008

    Believe it or not, what you see above is a sculpture! It's true! If you appreciate the aging of the female form, as I do, then you'll appreciate the art of Tip Toland. She's primarily a sculptor and her subjects tend to lean towards the human body and how it ages. Her work has progressed steadily over the years becoming a lot more realistic with every new piece.

     Here, I've compiled the works that caught MY eye and I'm sure will get your attention too. You can tell there's passion there and that she has a love affair with the human condition and its effects on the female body over time. You can see more of her work here.

"The Whistlers"
2005

"Marilyn"
2005

Vanessa Hudgens Older Than She Appears?

Vanessa is actually 78 years old?

I came across an interesting little tidbit way back when about High School Musical star, Vanessa Hudgens. Apparently, she's so worried about aging that she's already using anti-wrinkle cream at the tender age of 21. I had posted about it before I never shared what she was quoted saying. I also found a new pic of her looking older.
     Earlier this year, she was quoted as saying:

“I’m already starting to use anti-aging. You might as well start sooner than later because products are really amazing these days. You might as well start now, put a little lotion on rather than having to get wrinkles. I think it’s smart to start soon, really. It’s a good beauty tip."

   Hmm… I'm thinking that maybe she's actually much older than she claims and that this is what she actually looks like. Maybe she's come across some kind of miracle cream and she's really 78 years old.

Holy Crap! HEATHER IS OLD!

Nuff said.

Lexicon of Aging Female Parts

Here's an interesting article that I quite enjoyed from the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail:

Obsession with aging female parts has created a new body lexicon

Ladies of a certain age, the best that can be said is, welcome. Congratulations are not necessarily in order. After all, who asks to find herself here, over the hump, in midlife? Who wanted to arrive in this territory, even though everyone knew it existed and could see others inhabiting it?
     Never mind. (Pause here for a sigh of reluctant acknowledgment. Or to mourn.) Few like it here much, especially in summer, the season for baring the body. Just to underscore the point, along comes August's Age Issue of Vogue, with women complaining about their no-longer-perfect bodies - from eyebrows gone haywire to shoulders with brown and red spots.
     Many women fight tooth and bicep to delay arrival to this place. Midlife makes them feel invisible to men and somehow diminished, despite their accomplishments. No wonder all those big, fancy cosmetics companies and plastic surgeons frame their age-defying pitches in the feminist language of "rights" and "choices." They understand that some women see youthful physical beauty as an expression of their power.
     But do not colour your thoughts along with your grey roots.
     Such is women's obsession with the tyranny of their aging bodies - some might even call it a body dysmorphic disorder - that they develop names for the various age-signifying bits that can seem as offensive as teenage behaviour, prompting a need for strict control (in this case intervention in the form of diet, exercise, cream, injection or scalpel).
     The names suggest annoyance, never love or fondness of the type men have for some of their parts.
     Which is unfortunate. Don't you love your teenager, despite his long, greasy hair?The cure, ladies, is to laugh. To wit, a list of the best names for the worst afflictions.

The Bitch Wrinkle:

Also known as Chapter Eleven (an appropriate illusion to bankruptcy, given the cost of Botox). It's that wrinkle - some have two parallel lines - between the eyebrows.

Bunny Lines: Sounds cute, but they are not. Small lines from the tear duct of the eye up the bridge of the nose.

Crow's Feet:

No explanation needed.


The Parentheses: Or Bracket. The lines on either side of the nose, running to edge of the lips. Why not stick with Deep Smile Folds, or DSF, for short? At least that name suggests you have been having fun.


Quilting Pattern: 

When wrinkles start to form in a horizontal pattern along with the vertical ones. Found primarily on the lower cheek.

Vampire Dinner Lips: 

We could call the lines around the lips by their quasi-medical term, perioral wrinkles. But that's not much fun. Better to follow Diana Athill's lead. In her recent memoir, Somewhere Towards the End, she wrote of the aging process with an admirable sense of humour. "One of my dearest old friends could never get it into her head that if, when doing herself up for a party, she slapped on a lot of scarlet lipstick, it would soon come off on her teeth and begin to run into the little wrinkles round the edge of her lips, making her look like a vampire disturbed in mid-dinner."


Ringed Tree Trunk: Also known as the Ropey Neck. We have Nora Ephron to thank for drawing our attention here. In her book, I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman, she observed, "You have to cut open a redwood tree to know how old it is, but you wouldn't have to if it had a neck."


Gludgeons: Otherwise known as Dewlaps. The little bulge of skin where the arm meets the torso. Vogue named the body part in their August 2008 Age-less Issue.

Bingo Wings: Or Dinner Lady Arms. Even Madonna, a super-fit 50-year-old pop star, was revealed to have them - the flabby undercarriage of the upper arms - when she waved to fans earlier this month.

Alluvial Fan: Pattern of lines formed on upper chest. They drain into the cleavage. Some midlife women refrain from sleeping on their sides to prevent their formation.

Crepey Cleavage: 

Not worth displaying with the same confidence the area once inspired.

The Shelf or Bosom: A formidable prow of a ship with which a matron can sail into a room.

Saddlebags: Carried on the outer part of the thighs at the top. Can lead to a state of being known as The Waist-less Wide-bottom.

Cellulite: Well, duh.

Menopot: Also known as The Pooch.

Old Lady Butt: 

Or Saggy Booty. Also afflicts old men (as evidenced with Jack Nicholson in Something's Gotta Give). Can be seen on the young, too: Celebrity watchers have outed Jessica Simpson and Lindsay Lohan as having Diaper Booty. (Yes, the droopy butt has several names.)

Suitcase Knees:

They are padded and bulky. Skinny, exercise enthusiasts develop Shar-Pei Knees: wrinkled folds that droop.

GGO Birthday - CHARISMA CARPENTER

Charisma through the years.

Gorgeous actress Charisma Carpenter, best known for her role as Cordelia Chase on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, is turning 40 today! Wow!
     The signs of her age are evident though which isn't surprising since she's always been a huge fan of tanning. IMHO, she already looks 5 years older than she is. At this rate, she'll be looking like a granny in no time.

     I just hope that she'll be posing for Playboy again in another ten years - it'll be interesting to see how she holds up.

The signs of Charisma's aging process.

Bikini Granny from DeviantArt.com

Aging Bikini Babe by =phoenixelement on deviantART

GGO News: Amanda Seyfried to Stop Aging - TheWrap.com

This news may sound disappointing but it may just turn out to be awesome. Turns out that Amanda Seyfried (Chloe, Mamma Mia!) has signed on to star in a sci-fi film in which the elite can afford to pay to stop aging at 25 years of age and so the poor are left to wither and die. Her character discovers along the way that love is more important than staying young. Does this mean that her character will give up her right to stay young and that we'll be treated to some old age makeup on sweet Amanda? I hope so. Time will tell. You can read the full article HERE.

GGO News - Angelina Jolie: "I like getting older" - Toronto Sun

Seems that 35-year-old Angelina has been quoted by the Toronto Sun as saying that she likes getting older. I wonder if she's seen this image created by an Ecuadorian ad agency. Read the full article HERE.