Botoxing Your Resume

Two weeks ago, we wrestled with ageism and the workplace in Dangers of Looking Your Age.

Last Thursday, the New York Times jumped on the bandwagon with Nice Resume. Have You Considered Botox? The focus of the article was a wildly popular new book, which debuted on The New York Times best-seller list at #8 in the advice and how-to category; as of post-time, it ranked #11 on Amazon. Written by former Glamour beauty director Charla Krupp, a columnist for More magazine, the book is How Not to Look Old. The book jacket explains its reason-for-being: "Looking hip is not just about vanity anymore, it's critical to every woman's personal and financial survival!"

The Times article pokes plenty of fun at the book's scary chapter headlines: NOTHING AGES YOU LIKE...FOREHEAD LINES....NOTHING AGES YOU LIKE....YELLOW TEETH...NOTHING AGES YOU LIKE A SAGGY BUTT (okay, that last one was my contribution). Charla Krupp describes the book as "THE Fashion and Beauty Bible for Women over 30!" (Since 30 is clearly old.)

Ms. Krupp manages to insult men, women, and all of corporate America in one swoop: "Whether we want to admit it or not, in male corporate America we would rather have a cute, sexy 30-year-old working for us than a 50-year-old with gray hair who has let herself go and looks like a nun." Wow! I didn't know these were the only two choices for women.

Anecdotes and research show the American work world is riddled with ageism. But how much is changed by terrifying women or oversimplifying the solutions? I know plenty of men in corporate America who care about skills, competence and potential far more than how many wrinkles you've got. There are plenty of women who have done fabulously well in their careers who have always showed their age. More than a few women say looking young and attractive has hurt more than it's helped. Finally, ageism is far from a female phenomenon; men are victims, too.

However, I feel the same about make-up, hair coloring and cosmetic surgery as I do about freezing your eggs to lengthen your fertility window. There's nothing wrong with it. Aging stinks. A face lift, some Botox injections, and liposuction are weapons of choice in an unfair fight against our culture, our country's employment practices and our biology, all of which clearly favor youth. Until ageism ceases to exist, why not fight back?

By Leslie Morgan Steiner |  January 30, 2008; 7:00 AM ET  | Category:  Workplaces
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