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The topic of aging and plastic surgery has always been sticky for some celebrities. While it's fashionable to take a makeup-free selfie or talk about embracing one's age, most A-listers aren't as quick to start revealing the names of their dermatologists. Even in 2021, the subject of anti-wrinkle injectables remains a taboo. Actress and Goop entrepreneur Gwyneth Paltrow understands why so many famous women keep mum on the subject.
“A lot of successful women in Hollywood are motivated early on by not being good enough, and so we’re trying to prove something to ourselves,” Paltrow tells BAZAAR.com. “By getting injectables, it’s like admitting a vulnerability. I think sometimes honesty is perceived to be a weakness...There does seem to be a lot of stigma around injections."
Paltrow isn't just admitting to getting work done—she's quite literally the face of it. As the new spokeswoman for Xeomin, an FDA-approved anti-wrinkle injection for frown lines between the eyebrows, she's hoping to change the conversation about aging—by at least being transparent about what she gets done. For Paltrow, a “teeny drop” of the stuff makes her “look less pissed off.”
This isn’t her first experience with wrinkle-smoothing injectables.
“I had a midlife crisis when I turned 40, and I went to go see this doctor. It was a disaster. I didn’t do anything else for a long, long time. I was bruised, my forehead was completely frozen, and I didn’t look like myself at all," Paltrow admits. She says the switch to Xeomin—and a new doctor—are responsible for her more natural look these days.
“I think it’s nice when women share, because there’s a lot of shame around surgery or injectables or fillers, and it would be nice if people felt confident about the choices they were making," she says. "But if they want to have a beauty secret, that’s okay, too. I'm an open book—I've shared what works for me, because that's how I've always learned."
Paltrow does feel that the culture at large is making some strides against ageism. She says Gen Z is partially to thank. “The younger generation is embracing and deifying women like Jane Fonda and Frances McDormand. They just love cool women, whether they’re older or different to them," she adds. "They’re so much less judgmental about other women of all shapes and sizes. I observe that with my daughter. They look at the whole woman, instead of some super-airbrushed, FaceTuned Instagram photo. I like the trend I’m seeing.”
