“Every day I ask Hashem to please let me accept the fact that it’s okay to age and that aging is a beautiful process”
I was disturbed by the premise of the cover feature, “Fountain of Youth,” about the pressure to get Botox injections. I believe the article was well-intetioned in defending those who age naturally, but fear that it may have had the opposite effect. It addressed the majority — asking them not to judge those who don’t use Botox and other injectables — thereby implying that nonusers are the anomaly.
This is a gross misrepresentation of the reality in today’s Torah world. Most women aren’t using these treatments. Introducing the misleading idea that “everyone is doing it” to thousands of women across the spectrum of frum society makes the author and editors responsible for causing the boomerang effect mentioned: “…You could almost hear people think, ‘What about me? Maybe it’s true for me, too.’ ”
Many pages in this magazine have been devoted to debunking unhealthy perceptions and to promoting a healthy self-image. Let’s hope that this piece doesn’t ruin that and that the beautiful women of Klal Yisrael can continue to age naturally (as most do) and confidently, free of societal pressure.
L.S.
Several years ago, as a result of taking a necessary medication, I began noticing muscle spasms in my face. They were relatively minor, and my husband and friends said they barely noticed. We live in a simple neighborhood where such a thing isn’t the end of the world. But several of my siblings — who don’t live such simple lives — called the twitches unsightly, or worse.
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