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According to Hofmann: Materials Girl

By Mark Hofmann mhofmann@heraldstandard.Com 5 min read
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Last week, a coworker told me to take a look at a recent photo of singer Madonna – not so much to show me something, but more of a dare, like when you’re dared to stand in front of a mirror and say “Candyman” five times and then he appears to bury a hook into your skull.

Sorry, I’ve been reading a lot of horror lately.

Anyway, the “hook” in this case happened to be the curse/blessing of plastic surgery or rhinoplasty, if you’re an environmentalist against plastics or reconstructive surgery if you have something against rhinoceroses.

The photo of Madonna was a still image taken from a TikTok video where her lips are bugling, her eyes are half shut and her skin looks stretched to the point where she gained additional forehead space, which was further accented by having two rows of pigtails flanking it.

I found another photo of Madonna – this one a promotional shot of her in what I believe is a music video, and while she looks better than the TikTok photo, she doesn’t look like Madonna at all.

ItĢƵ like Madonna went through plastic surgery, but instead of looking like a younger old Madonna, she looked like she was entering witness protection or something.

I thought about the actress who played “Ruth” on the show “Ozark” as sheĢƵ going to play a young Madonna in an upcoming movie about her life. I have to wonder, when she makes it to MadonnaĢƵ current age, will she get plastic surgery and end up looking like a totally different version of the different version of Madonna? Perhaps that trend will continue until thereĢƵ a lineage of Madonnas.

Sorry, I’ve been reading a lot of science fiction, too.

With that said, I’m not writing this column to make fun of MadonnaĢƵ looks because, heck, I have no right to make fun of anyoneĢƵ appearance, as people who know me know that I stopped caring about my looks a long time ago. Just ask my wife, who makes me wear a Tom Cruise mask whenever we go out in public.

I can’t even cast shame at the plastic-rhino-surgery-plasty industry because many people have used it as much-needed reconstructive surgery or a boost to their self-confidence and well-being.

I guess the issue I have is the obsession people have with fighting aging.

For people, especially women and even older men in the public eye, I understand they need to keep those appearances looking young to stay relevant, and thatĢƵ more of a problem with society than anything else.

So itĢƵ no surprise that thereĢƵ going to be a nip and a tuck and a tug and a slap to parts of your body a little at a time over a period to fight The Grim Reaper – well, OK, not The Grim Reaper, but certainly his second cousin, The Grim Ager, whoĢƵ responsible for anyone subjected to the phrase, “Someone didn’t age well,” and “She may be a witch. Light the torches!”

Sorry. Horror again.

Maybe I misspoke – well, mistyped – when I miswrote that people are trying to “fight” age, as thatĢƵ impossible because, no matter what, you grow older. Perhaps thatĢƵ why they tell you to “defy” your age, which is why they have age-defying makeup, skin cream, energy serum (a real thing, I found), soap and lotion, some of which cost nearly $100 for a single tube.

If makeup, skin-care products and the miracle of energy serum are one way to defy The Grim Ager, the other age-defying practice is acting young, which is why you see your grandfather rolling up on you and your friends in his motorized scooter, but wearing a leather jacket and those big post-cataract-surgery sunglasses and saying, “What is up, my hep cats?”

The other practice you see is older women being labeled as “cougars” and “cradle robbers” as they take on a much younger beau. I’m not saying thereĢƵ anything wrong with this, as old men do the same thing, but the problem I have is I can’t imagine a cougar being the type of animal that robs a baby from the cradle.

ThatĢƵ why we should consider renaming them and their male counterparts as “dingos” because they steal the babies, from what I’m told, even though I later found out that was a hoax.

But that may be my point of this whole column, that one can try and try to defy The Grim Ager, but like The Grim Reaper, itĢƵ ultimately a losing battle; however, to save both time and money, I’d say the best way to defy aging is the old-fashioned method of, well, just lying about your age.

I mean, itĢƵ either that or being labeled as a dingo as you stand in front of the mirror saying “energy serum” five times.

According to Hofmann is written by staff reporter Mark Hofmann of Rostraver Township. His books, “Good Mourning! A Guide to Biting the Big One…and Dying, Too” and “Stupid Brain,” are available on Amazon.com.

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