The Best Kept Secret Blog - Never Say Never But I'm Never Doing That (Maybe)

I was born on the cusp of Libra and Scorpio. And while I don't particularly follow the zodiac, I do like the image of the willful and dramatic scorpion superimposed on the balanced, see both sides of the coin, Libran.

Except this week. This week the mix of the drama and balance is giving me pause.

It all started on Saturday when I read the Style section in The Globe and Mail.

It seems Jeanne Beker, she of FT t.v. fame, has had some cosmetic enhancements. She has been injected with Sculptra, a synthetic polymer that is touted to make our skin firmer and improve the appearance of lines and the gaunt look that often accompanies aging. Go Jeanne.

The last two pages of the Style section were then devoted to an "information supplement", comprised of glowing testimonials, depressing "before" and successful "after" shots, and headlines that extolled the virtues of quick treatments, immediate results and short recovery periods.

So why does all this have my knickers in a knot? Because my gut reaction (it's the Scorpio in me) is to scream, "Nooooo".

Why are women doing this? Why do we feel compelled to spend literally thousands of dollars each year for this? Why aren't there any men in the advertisement - ooops, I mean "information supplement"? Why are the lines and sags and droops that come with age so bad? Why, why, why?

But then, my inner Libran kicks in. Why not? I colour my hair, wear make up, enjoy the occasional pedicure.

Who am I to judge someone if this is important to them? What if their appearance is their stock in trade, as in Ms. Beker's case?

I keep remembering an incident a couple of years ago. I was volunteering at our local hospital and chatting with a patient, a woman in her 60's, about women and cosmetic surgery. I was 41 or 42 at the time, still plumped and not too lined. I went on and on about how awful it was for women to do this and why can't we just appreciate who we are and embrace our ageing selves, blah, blah, blah.

She let me go on for some time and when I finally came up for air, she replied in a surprisingly calm voice, "You know, having my face lift two years ago was one of the best things I've ever done."

It took me a long time to remove the shoe leather from my mouth. And I haven't come up with an answer that sits well with me yet. If only I had been born in the spring.