Reaction

I’ve been thinking about my picture reaction. A few things came to me. One, automatically I started thinking about whether or not I looked “good” or “bad” in the picture. Then I considered that maybe that is part of the conversation. I want people to really see me. I’m more than that image.

I thought about when I was cute and young; when men wanted me and would try to be charming. It was exciting and fun, but also scary. You never know. I was thinking how now that I’m older, sometimes men seem angry at me for being in their vision. In a city that is primarily geared at younger people who are actors and models trying to look perfect, I am an affront to the eyes.

Then my thoughts meandered to the value our society puts on older people. It’s not much. As a culture, we only seem to be interested in beautiful women at the prime of their sexuality. Like women have nothing else to offer.

Suddenly, I kept thinking about Jamie Lee Curtis. I couldn’t figure out why I had Jamie Lee Curtis on the brain. When I was walking today it occurred to me. I remember when Ms. Curtis posed un-retouched in 2002 and how powerful that was for me. I thought that was amazing. I realized that this conversation has been going on a long time. We are just joining a little later.

I did a research on exactly when that picture was taken of Jamie Lee Curtis and I read something even more powerful to me than that gesture was. To paraphrase, she said her husband, Christopher Guest, pointed out that gray-haired Jessica Tandy in a simple dress was the most beautiful woman in a roomful of glamorous celebrities. That’s it in a nutshell.