Renee Zellweger isn't broken. Neither is anyone else who chooses to spend money on erasing wrinkles or sucking out fat or getting stupid hair implants that look stupid. (See what I did there, fellas? It works both ways!) Even if Renee Zellweger was a deeply troubled person with major self-esteem issues, A) we wouldn't necessarily know it, because we can't see her insides or the color of her mood ring, and B) those internal conflicts aren't the sole drivers of why people look the way they look. If they were, I'd alternate between looking like Winona Ryder in Beetlejuice and Lady Miss Kier from Deee-lite, depending on my mood.
http://www.damemagazine.com
This is how I look on the inside.
Again, I'm as guilty as everyone else in the judgment department. I'm a sucker for wanting to mother skinny girls. I WILL WANT TO FIX YOU IF YOU'RE SKINNY. Forget Renee's face; I'm still sending casseroles to the 2003 Chicago-era skinny Renee. It's starting to get expensive. Here's the thing: skinny girls who aren't my daughters or friends or friends' daughters aren't my business. Correction: skinny girls who aren't me aren't my business. I shouldn't use their bodies as my joke playground, and I certainly shouldn't presume every skinny girl is sick. And even if every skinny girl was sick, that also wouldn't be my business.
Assuming Renee Zellweger had some work done on her face assumes she had to go through a very deliberate and informed process to make it happen. That she met with a doctor, looked at her options, talked to him or her about her specific concerns, weighed the benefits and drawbacks, maybe got opinions from her closest friends. In other words, acted on her own agency. Like a grown-up, not a victim or a mirror who exists only to reflect our approval. And the next time someone complains that they don't recognize her, tell them: no duh.
That was probably the whole point.
Kristi is a senior editor and columnist for Cracked. For more from her, check out past articles here and follow her on Twitter or Facebook.
For more from Kristi, check out 5 True Stories Behind Iconic Pictures of Badass Women and 5 Life Lessons from a Former Mean Girl.
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