Here are some new photos of Ashley Judd yesterday, filming a segment for Extra. I’m sure she’s promoting Missing, but at this point, hardly anyone is talking about her show. Everyone is talking about “the puffy-face controversy” because Ashley is still talking about it too. As we previewed yesterday, Ashley gave an interview to NBC to further explain her face and excoriate her critics, just as she did in her Daily Beast essay. Interestingly enough, Ashley continues to shill her flawed (in my opinion) argument, which amounts to “People said mean things about me, and that makes them misogynists.”
Once again, I think Ashley is simply angry that people said mean things about her, and that they say harsh things about women – not that women are judged on their appearances in general. Ashley’s point is NOT “We should not say things about a woman’s appearance, good or bad, because a woman should be judged on her mind.” Ashley’s point is “People shouldn’t say mean things about my appearance in particular because it’s anti-woman to notice when I have a puffy face.” It’s absolutely fine with her if you want to compliment her “flawless skin” (her words) or say that she looks pretty.
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In the new interview, Ashley claims, “I think it’s hatred of women that invites the criticism… I think it’s the objectification of girls and women and this hypersexualization of our society that invites the criticism.” Hypersexualization? In my opinion, that’s a separate argument. Our society does hypersexualize women, and it’s especially creepy when young girls are hypersexualized. But I don’t understand the point here, with Judd. Is she saying that our culture is so sexualized that we don’t put worth in a woman if we don’t deem her “sexy”? Valid and interesting point, but is that what she’s saying? Or is it that a once-beautiful Hollywood starlet, who relied and profited from her beauty and her “sexiness” for years and years, had never before had her appearance criticized?
Judd continues, “It doesn’t have anything to do with me, really, and how I look… There was no presumption of goodwill. The conversation went straight to, ‘Oh my gosh.’ [There was a] nasty, vitriolic and gloating tone. I started to catch the double bind where, you know, my face looks puffy, ‘She’s had work,’ you know? And then, look at the same image in a different interpretation by a separate set of people is, ‘Oh, come on, she doesn’t even have any wrinkles at all, she’s clearly had work.’ So, I look bad, I’ve had work. I look too good, I’ve had work.” Except that no one was saying she looked “too good”! Sorry. That amused me. But really, no one was like, “She looks awesome, she must have had work done.” People only talked about the “puffy face” because she did look so noticeably different.
The worst part of Judd’s flawed argument (once again, in my opinion) was the part where she talks about how women try to “fix” their appearances and the cycle of seeking self-worth in beauty products and exercise equipment. This, coming from a woman who had a long-standing contract with Estee Lauder. At the very least, if you consider Ashley’s argument to be valid and without flaws, you have to admit that she was actively engaged with and profiting from this misogynistic system (that she’s now blasting) for years.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I’m sorry, she’s a bitch. I dislike her more everytime she opens her mouth, which is saying a lot since I disliked her back in the days of the Judds too.
What was it she said yesterday? ‘I look so beautiful and young at 43, and nobody can see a single wrinkle on my face on TV’?? (just about)
Bit@h, I CAN SEE YOUR WRINKLES, without the big screen TV, simply on the closeup pics!
And on those last 2 pictures she looks 53 not 43, for the love of God.
Sh!t, she really is delusional!!!
But she was insanely gorgeous in those ads – no wonder she’s so bitter now that phase is over.
I could be wrong but I think botox causes major under-eye wrinkles when you stop. I first noticed the effect with Madonna 10 years ago.
I will admit to being OBSESSED with my under-eye line (yes line) so I really LOOK there in other people, my age not because I am a misogynist (I said people not women) but because I like to compare how I am doing compared to others.
The obsession comes from getting that wrinkle at 22. Ironically, I can thank Estee Lauder’s Fructis (from half a lifetime ago) for preventing it from multiplying it.
In my process of comparing how I am doing compared to others between say 38-48, I have noticed that Ashley suffers from my other issue. Oprah once said that some people wrinkle and others sag – Oprah admitted to being a sagger – as am I. Alas, Ashley is both… look at her jawline/puppet lines. S A G
If she would stop talking about it, it would die down and people might focus on her show.
Wow.
First, she needs to stop reading stuff about herself on the internet. That’s not healthy for any celeb.
Second, stop making one little thing about herself into “hatred of women” in general. Get over herself – there have been some REAL pushes against women’s rights in the last few months, her face looking a little puffier than before pales in comparison.
Third, once you’ve based an acting and modeling career on your looks, stop complaining about people looking at you.
I love everything about this comment.
I know that she is taking this personal because its obviously about her, but don’t make a personal thing into a giant public “everyone hates women” thing. Like you said, there are some major things happening concerning women’s rights (mostly reproductive rights) which is so much more important to women as a whole than if some has-been actress has a puffy face and is upset about it.
Yes, this. It bugs me that she’s holding feminisim hostage here, trying to make it into a larger issue when her essay (to me) just reaked of insecurity and narcissism.
THIS^^ (lucy2)
Although in her own mind Ashley probably thinks she got all those film roles on talent alone.
No kidding. What a s&^$storm she managed to stir up, definitely for less than noble reasons.
She should just stop talking about it and maybe everyone else would too!
I agree-fly under the radar for awhile. She is wasting her time and energy on this, and I have a feeling that both are in short supply. She looks exhausted-time to take a break!
I had two thin friends who gained weight, like maybe 15 to 25 pounds. I was stunned at the change in their faces and how they gained it In their face oddly.
I have a round/heart-shaped face and if I gain 5 pounds it shows on my face. Sucks.
wow. I know that those commercial pictures are obviously professional, but now I remember why I used to think she was so beautiful. Now…she just has a weird puffy face with strange lines and a wobbly neck…sorry, I mean, perfect skin.
She was beautiful 10-15 years ago. Her boobs are still perky because I doubt she has a bra under that strappy dress – if she does where can I get one?
Good grief. Judd should just stop. She’s been called a “lazy and arrogant actress”, an attack on her character and professional behavior – yet, that did not garner all this ongoing whiny, self-righteous tripe. Her looks obviously outweigh anything of more substance that it should deserve this kind of a response from her. She doth protest too much and the hypocrisy reeks.
great point.
Thanks for posting those pics of her, I realize I was not crazy to have such a girl crush on her. She was gorgeous, graceful. She would have made a great Grace Kelly, those years ago.
All I want to say about her present appearance is I want her dress. It’s beautiful.
Something stuck in my craw about Judd’s argument (which is a common one, and not without merit), but I couldn’t pin out just what. But yes, the hypocrisy of someone who made their fortune of the commodification of their face and body kind of brought it home. What we have is partly a system where women’s bodies are objectified for commercial gain (though I think “patriarchal” is a poor term for it). However, there is more than one way to look at our discomfort with women’s sexual power and how they use their bodies. Some of us win the genetic lottery and some don’t, so looks aren’t something that fit well with idealistic visions of a truly meritocratic society. However, being attractive, and especially sexually attractive to the opposite sex, is a kind of power, and people leverage it all the time. But we’re not *supposed* to, because it really isn’t “fair”. Physical attraction and sexuality skew a fair playing field, and so we’re supposed to ignore it, only judge people by their intellect and contributions. Good luck with that. Ashley Judd of all people should know that she has had a huge social, economic and personal advantage from her physical attributes. People benefit from beauty because it is something most of us enjoy having around, even if we’re not willing to admit it. We’re certainly willing to pay for it or it’s illusion. It IS a commodity. It amazes me how many people will openly state that it is impossible to be “colorblind” to race, but think it’s possible for humans to be blind to physically attractive attributes.
Great comment *claps*
Nothing rhymes with silver does it? ☻
Great comment.
Well said!
1. She needs to stop talking about it. Let it go, let it die.
2. I do agree that we put WAY to much emphasis on women’s appearances. Not nearly enough on men’s appearances.
3. Maybe this is all the fault of photoshop 😉 All of these actresses and models look stunning in photoshoots because they are airbrushed to within an inch of reality. That’s impossible to compete with in real life, no matter HOW much work you have done.
I vote “nah” on number 3. Ask your mom, they used to paint or “airbrush” professional pictures. My mom says it was an art.
This isn’t new, this is the evil queen who is blaming us because she is not the fairest of them all anymore. I admit that would be hard to deal with.
Oh they should have hired her instead of Julia Roberts – Julia may be the bigger name but Ashley is a perfect aging beauty.
I think it’s precisely through seemingly ‘insignificant’ gossip about women’s looks that patriarchal attitudes become dominant. However, she should at least acknowledge that she’s fed and supported the system with her adverts for years.
On a side note: using that particular picture of her is just mean!
damnit Kaiser, I had to look up excoriate, how dare you expand my brain without my asking! And as for Ashley, she’s an actress, she gets paid for people looking at her. You can’t get all “stick up the butt” mad when they notice you’re puffy.. STOP TALKING ABOUT IT already..
I agree with some of the points she brought up re: celeb worship and people just being nasty in general. Although people have probably always been nasty but with the advent of social media, bloggers, celeb gossip sites etc. there is just more opportunity to spread the vitriol. HOWEVER, all her valid points are lost in a sea of “me me me”. She personalized everything and took away from the importance of her message by making it all about herself. She must be drinking the same Kool-Aid as Samantha Bricks.
PS-Not to sound like a bitch but her face is still puffy so maybe it’s just natural aging/weight gain? Maybe she should do women a favor and be forthright about things instead of blaming it on some medication.
I LOVED it when she wrote about her flawless skin and having no discernible wrinkles! What a fool.
People don’t hate her because she’s a woman they hate her because she is just so awful. I’d venture a guess that many of the women who dislike her are also well educated. It’s just that we’re able to speak and write coherently. She seems to believe that the more “big words” one throws into a sentence, the smarter one is. Mmm, sorry. It’s just so try hard.
I use “big words” in emails when I can’t say what I really think (shorter words used by sailors). It’s meant to sound bitchy but to not have anyone else be able to prove it’s bitchy.
That last shot of her made me really sad. She and I are about the same age and although she was always much more beautiful than I (hence the reason Im not a model or Hollywood actress!) I now far surpass her. I’ve done nothing to my appearance so I know she either ages really poorly or she has messed with her face (I suspect the latter). Too bad Ashley wasn’t able to resist the lull of the quick fix. I’m pretty average but probably look about 10-15 years younger than her. I feel sorry that she’s so outraged by something she’s done to herself.
I thought the same thing. I am a year younger. I am not as pretty as she is, anymore. If I ever was. I was cute but I gained weight a long time ago. When she said she was 43 and had almost perfect skin, I thought it was possible – I have slight sagging but very few lines – less sagging than her. It may be the luck of the fat lol!
I actually think that the “natural” Ashley we are looking at is not what the natural Ashley would look like had she not tweaked her face. Kaiser and CB posted some photos of her book tour last year and she was totally botoxed not just puffy but seriously tweaked. I think we are looking at skin stretched out by fillers that hasn’t or can’t bounce back.
She made her living out of her looks for years, now that somebody says something negative about her she’s the poster child for womens’ lib. I never saw her defend her fat sister when people criticized her looks. She needs to go sit down some place
LOL
exactly – the system is great until it spits me out
YES! thank you for making that point!
She is full of sh-t but everybody seems to be going along with it (except us at Celebitchy because we’re so smart). Peter Jennings even pandered to her as “news”!
I died in ’05!
nobody really cares about who she is anymore, and if she just left it alone, the news cycle would have fixed it for her. she’s obviously trying to parlay this into more attention and the spotlight.
Bless her heart… she needs to stop talking.
The only reason so many people have commented about how puffy Ashley looked… is because she has always been a pretty girl. A naturally pretty girl.
And it is shocking to see someone known for their beauty, show up with a moon face.
If it had been Halle Berry in the same position. Suddenly with a moon face… everyone would have commented.
No one was picking on Ashley. As much as everyone was startled to see her, not looking like her self.
I said it then, I suspected it was a medical issue. Hoping it was the side effects of steroid use.
yes kaiser, you summed it all up nicely.
i never liked her since i saw her family on oprah. winona was on stage with oprah crying about her issues with weight and ashley was sitting in the front row of the audience wearing a tight black dress that was so low cut her boobs were coming out of it.
i think that said more about her issues with the sexualization of women, female competition and female self worth.
I go to the 500 every year and one year her big sis was singing one of the anthems, our seats were low on pit row where all the celebrities and drivers are at, her and Wynona walked by and people started screaming horrible things about her weight (I actually felt really bad for her), but it didn’t seem to bother Ashley at all, you would think she would have wrote an essay about body types then in defense of her sister, but nooo, only when her appearance get’s crisiticized does she pitch a fit. Ashley face it your getting older your in a profession that is 90 percent looks, get a backbone and turn the other cheek. This her just trying to get attention for her show which is bombing.
Right?! She has always been known as the beautiful sister, I’m sure she loved that title and especially in contrast to good old fat Winona. I have never liked Ashley and this shows me why all over again
“…she was actively engaged with and profiting from this misogynistic system (that she’s now blasting) for years.”–Celebitchy
There is a huge difference (with many layers of intent and degree) between our innate desire to appreciate beauty: such as Consumers attracted to beautiful pictures, or Producers profiting from selling those pictures. (Was Mona Lisa “shilling” herself? Was DaVinci exploiting her?)
and
Consumers of beauty excoriating someone for possessing it, or worse, losing it, as if they are an inanimate commodity.
I think that this is more than just “I gained a bit of weight” or side-effects of medication. I think she’s had work done.
To me, her face looks like it’s trying really hard to age, but just a little bit is able to bust through where the fillers don’t work as well (around the eyes and mouth.) Unnatural looking.
sometimes aging gracefully isn’t just wrinkles, which in your 40s, wou will have some, but depending on your lifestyles and genes, some don’t have that many compared to others….BUT, GRAVITY is the bitch here,,,,all this commotion for her puffy face…she isn’t aging well..she’s a bit jowly and looks tired…she used to be beautiful and now she isn’t so much…it happens to the best of us….I don’t hate women Ashley, I am one…just commenting on your look like i would looking at a painting..or a car…. it is just commenting on what one sees period.
Can someone please tell this bitch that she’s pretty so she will SHUT UP?!
That cracked me up.
Seriously. She never complained about “objectification of girls and women and this hypersexualization of our society” when people were saying she was beautiful. Now that people have criticized her looks all of a sudden she doens’t like being objectified.
I have always thought she was beautiful too bad she is crazy. Same goes for Halle. They are just too crazy and self-riteous for anyone to like them anymore. Does she really walk around holding a dog for therapy?
She just needs to stop…
Huh, I think that she has some pretty valid points, made albeit in very wordy/off puttingly Goop language. Yeah she’s an actress whose looks are fading, who has capitalised on her looks for her career, it’s undeniably a double edged sword that she maybe hasn’t articulated as well as she thinks she has. I am not a big fan of hers or anything, I just think she had a right to defend what was unashamedly pretty vicious coverage by any standards, very much in a “she used to be pretty, now she’s not” mean spirited kind of way. As for not defending her sister more, who knows, maybe her sister has told her not to, you never know what goes on. I admit to relating to this story also as somone who went through steroids wreaking serious hell on my appearance, I feel for any woman having to take them and then be scrutinized. They ripped Kathleen Turner apart for the same reason, I do think it’s unfair to lump them in with other women messing with their faces for cosmetic reasons.
Here is an article by a man who accompanied her on a charity trip to Africa and, wow, is she crazy. He had to take it down for a while because her lawyer complained but he reposted it later.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1665919/posts
Hi Jean – thanks for sharing that! Wow, she is quite the fruit loop! Stay away from Ms. Judd!
Priceless.
Oh my god, I was all set to defend (some of) what she has been saying in the last couple of days… Until I read that article. What an insufferable BITCH!!! Unbelievable!
Yep. First-class poseur and pseudo-intellectual nitwit. Judd should do herself a favor and get some therapy instead of projecting her crap onto society as a whole.
Can I delete my earlier comment? Ugh. I mean, granted it’s one person’s experience with her but still…this is pretty bad.
One thing I think reveals bias on the reporter’s part: why keep mentioning that she is a “leftist” and why disrepsect acupuncture? A lot of people believe in that acupuncture works-doesn’t automatically make them terrible people. Just saying that the piece is not exactly unbiased journalism at it’s best.
is it ever?
You’re completely right, Marie-and I was going to add that. The most unbiased journalism that I have found is The New Yorker and even the NYer writers constantly get flack for not showing the “total picture”. A lot of it depends on the reader’s interpretation as well.
Thanks for the tip, I’ll start checking there first. I get tired of reading the same article from different sites just to find out what really happened and even then you never get the full story, it’s pathetic..
Freerepublic is a very right-wing website. They’re birthers & conspiracy theorists. If the guy that went with them on the trip was a Freerepublic guy, probably had very annoying politics as well. Freerepublic was exposed for racist & bigoted blogs toward the President, muslims, & homosexuals. All you need to do is visit the website once and see its jaw-dropping rhetoric.
Thank you for posting the link, that was very entertaining. Also the kid in the bottom photo does not look impressed with her either.
Wow – those last pictures she looks older than me! ha ha
I’m sorry but I’ve never found Ashley even slightly attractive. She looks like Katherine Heigl who I also think is really, really ugly. It’s the pursed bitchface and that prissy mouth that just screams “insufferable know it all narcissist”. I just can’t take anything she says seriously, and I do wish she’d sit down and shut up because she’s not doing women any favors with this, she’s just embodying the shrill harpy feminist stereotype. Not that she cares about anything or anyone but herself.
WHY is she having a comeback anyways? Who looked at her and said “Hey, this bloated, clammy face is PERFECT for our show!” Also since she’s notoriously difficult to work with and sleeps like, 22 hours a day it makes even less sense! You know she talks down to absolutely everyone like they’re dumber than dirt and thinks she’s some super genius, why would anyone deal with that when there are younger, prettier, but most importantly, NICER actresses out there who could have done it? I don’t understand!
You nailed it, Katherine Heigl is Ashley Judd 2.0. Now that you say it, they could totally be the same person.
Seriously. There are probably hundreds of aspiring actors (not just young ones) who would kill for an opportunity like her show and would be pleasant and professional to work with. Is Ashley really that bankable?
I hope it didn’t come across as me saying that younger is better, because I’m no ageist (lol my husband is 12 years older than me) but I loathe Ashley Judd so much that I didn’t word that right!
What’s with Hollywood finding people that could be twins? Like Katy Perry and Zooey Deschanel…and Jenny McCarthy looks like them too, kinda. Miranda Kerr and Adriana Lima look alike also, I know there’s more but I can’t think of anyone else at the moment. It’s super creepy though! Like there’s a factory somewhere that churns them out. Hollywood is weird, especially if they’re giving this horrid woman another chance. What in God’s name is her appeal? What does she bring to the table? This really bothers me!
Ashley just rode on her mother and sisters coattails. She really can’t act….she can b**ch…but she certainly can’t act. She should just go away and spend time fighting for some leftist cause, or better yet spend some time with her hot husband.
Id care…. If she wasnt such a PEDANTIC, IGNOMINIOUS Known Bitch and a hypocritical one at that!, seeing as this is how she’s made a career and enjoyed priviledge etc
There! i used the fancy words she likes
If I was on Twitter, I’d hashtag #patriarchymademedoit. This is the same woman who flashed the Academy Awards as a presenter with no underwear and a skirt slit to the hip.
I am absolutely disgusted with some of the comments on this thread. I APPLAUD her BRAVO! The intelligence and broad application of her message transcends her and her celebrity. Read between the lines of your own anger and realize that it is society’s programming that make women so threatened by other beautiful, intelligent women; when we should be embracing and empowering each other. Stop being sheep and start thinking for yourself!
S’up Ashley.
@Anahata – I actually thought it might be Samantha Brick, not Ashley. 😉
Ashley, just shut up already.
Ashley looked fine on Jimmy Kimmel last night. (less said, Ashley) Look, no one can escape the aging process, and trust– certain meds and illnesses can do nasty things to one’s appearance. You never know what the future holds for you and G-d sometimes has a warped sense of humor for judgmental people. Remember that when you are asking, why me?
And yeah, Ashley Judd could use a big ole helping of humble pie.
I agree in part with what she’s saying. Women have it much rougher than men in this respect. But Ms Judd’s argument reads more as a pity piece because people were scathing over her puffy face. Yesterday was the first time I’d heard anything about steroids. I believe people are entitled to their privacy but unfortunately when a Hollywood actress suddenly looks like she did without explanation, conclusions about weight gain and/or plastic surgery are going to be drawn. She’s not that naive.
My dad had to have a round of steroids and the effect on his face was unfortunate so I feel for her in this respect. However when you’re in an ad campaign where a photo has at least been airbrushed with the caption “completely real” then you are part of the machine. Don’t bitch about it now.
Speaking of bitch, haven’t heard her wonder aloud about ABC having two shows with B (for bitch/es) in their titles. I’m fairly relaxed about this sort of thing but even this made me raise a eyebrow at what it might be saying about society’s attitude towards women at the moment.
I looked at those pictures of her in ads and she was a truly beautiful woman, but judging by that article on her charity trip to Africa, her beauty was not a reflection of a sweet, kind, or selfless personality. I know beautiful women whose faces are aging, but their essential goodness and sweet natures makes them still gorgeous. With age we begin to wear our inner selves more on our faces, so it seems to me that Ashley’s constant bitchface reflects her complaining, self-centered nature perfectly. Character tells, and I think I know all I care to about Miss Judd.
Ashley needs to STFU and go get her fat face fixed. & I used to be a fan…
A lot of actors and actresses are famous because they are beautiful and have some small acting ability. Then the beauty fades, and the fact that they are not Meryl Streep or Robert de Niro becomes apparent, and they are angry that they are no longer admired. They didn’t mind being judged for their looks when they opened doors, but they don’t want the flip side to apply to them. We are too harsh in criticizing actresses looks, but I don’t think that’s her real complaint.
Blah, blah, blah…I “know” all of your “big words,” Ashley. Watched this on Today this a.m. Now, just STFU already.
Pity party for two ~ invite Samantha Brick!
Ashley Judd was brought up in a very disfunctional household. Both she and her sister experienced a terrible amount of turmoil in their lives thanks to their mother and her horrible relationships with men. They were both exposed to some pretty awful situations at a tender age. I wonder if this has created the massive chip on her shoulder about how women are objectified and vilified by the media? And how beauty is characterized only by its physical manifestation, not by someone’s intelligence, compassion and creativity? Don’t get me wrong, I still think she’s making much too much of a muchness out of this and should just take the higher ground and ignore it as part of the irritating flack celebrities suffer instead of over-reacting.
Ashley could have handled this situation in a better way. First of all, she could have ignored it completely or she could have written a simple statement. Instead she made a mountain out of a molehill by releasing an old essay she probably modified from a Women’s Studies class she once took. I get that she is intelligent but this is a bit overboard.
I agree with Jaded. He mother, Naomi is absolutely crazy. One of the worst mothers. She would drop Ashley and Wynonna off at an arcade downtown, where they grew up, alone. They were really little one of the them got molested. An uncle molested the other. Naomi would have her boyfriends over and have loud sex in the next bedroom..get into crazy fights with boyfriends in front of them. I used to be big fans of the Judds along time ago. I think their upbringing has made them both crazy.
But, Ashley has had such a horrible snobby reputation. Even when she was at the University of kentucky.
I watched a few episodes of that mess on Oprah’s network with the revival of Naomi and Wynonna on tour. Those two need to stay far away from each other. OMG. Talk about bringing out the worst in each other. VERY passive aggressive.
It’s hard when a woman looks in the mirror and realizes that her looks have gone south, but it’s even harder when a woman looks in the mirror, doesn’t realize that her looks have gone south, and then has to hear that others are talking about it behind her back. That and only THAT is what’s bothering Ashley Judd.
That is pretty much it. I watched her show for the first time, and she is not aging well. Blame it on her genes, her bone structure, her meds, whatever. It’s hard to believe that she’s only 43.
Just have to add that Sean Bean is unbelieveably hot at 52.
I don’t get the hate for Missing. I love it. She looks good in the show but shows her age around crhe eyes. They showed her with a shoulder length wig or fall on and it makes her look younger and very pretty.
She definitely needs longer hair, it hides the jowls. Something I learned from an interview with Goldie Hawn in the 90s – bangs and length hide a lot. Pre-botox, women had to be more creative. And NO I don’t think it’s misogynist nor self loathing to want to look your best.
“I think it’s the objectification of girls and women and this hypersexualization of our society that invites the criticism.”
That’s rich, coming from a former Estee Lauder spokesperson.
I initially thought her puffy face was the results of meds but she’s been so defensive about it that I’m starting to think it was the result of some sort of cosmetic treatment or surgery. In any case, she wouldn’t still be getting press about the matter if she would just STFU.
Also? If she did have something done to help her look younger, it backfired. Ashley’s only 44 and has a great figure, but has the face of a woman in her 50s.
Ashley is right. I have an 8 year old niece that is constantly told she has “such a cute figure” and she’s “a fox.” 8 YEARS OLD. The conversation needs to stop being about girls/womens figures and looks. It probably could have been stated with fewer 3 syllable words, but Ashley is right in stating it starts at a young age and girls and women are being constantly judged on their looks.
I’ve said this in other threads but here I go again…. it seems so odd that she of all people will be so up in arms about procedures. It’s a family tradition! Have you seen her sister and her mother? They have so much done to their faces (and hair) it’s SCARY. Then there is all the make up, sometimes Wynona looks like a drag queen. And speaking of Wynona, where was Ashley when Wynona looked like she weighed 300lbs? I didn’t hear a peep from her. Fat is also a “misogynist” issue.
In my professional opinion, she may be an insufferable bitch, and maybe shes had botox or fillers, but she also looks like she’s been on high dose steroids. “moon facies” is one of the main side effect of long term steroids, sometimes used to treat autoimmune diseases. Just a thought. Tori Amos had the same thing happen to her face recently (you can google the pics) and it was due to steroids to treat her ulcerative colitis, I believe. But it does look like a face full of Botox or fillers… You can always have both I suppose…
Her insecurities about aging are really showing. She made a career based on her beauty and now that it’s time to hand the crown to a new group of younger, prettier and more hungry women, she’s turning into a crusty old bag who is judging people for judging her looks, which used to be okay when she was younger. Some people cannot handle aging. She is one of them. You can’t live next to the dog pound for years and then suddenly start complaining about the barking.
Why should she have to ignore it or just let it go and not say anything? So random people who don’t know her can say what they want about her, true or not, and she can’t respond?
It’s not like she’s Jessica Simpson who somehow sustains a career by over sharing her personal life, bodily functions and all. She was responding to something that was specifically said about her. If her side of the story is true, and she really does have an illness that she has to take steroids for, then it would kind of suck to have everyone saying the puffiness is from plastic surgery. In any case, it’s not really anybody’s business.
And, um, what she’s saying is true. I love this site, mostly because there are usually more intelligent comments here than other sites, which makes the whole experience funner. But all you have to do is look at the history of articles and posts. Case in point: when The Tourist came out, everyone was ragging on AngieJo’s lack of style and breaking down her outfits yet very little people pointed out that Johnny Depp (who was standing right next to her most times) looked like a hobo and in some instances, didn’t even look clean. Or all the articles asking “Has She Been Tweaked?” This is a celebrity blog, so those articles are typical, but it’s no lie that women are more nit-picky in regards to other women.
I don’t think it lessens her point any that the catalyst for it was her getting picked on. She’s been associated with feminist organizations like Ms. for years. If she had just said something, without there being any public instance that personally related to her, then people would be slamming her saying she just needed the attention.
I also don’t think that it lessens her point that she’s an actress and has a cosmetic line (or just fronts it?). Hollywood doesn’t usually back women that aren’t attractive – I think it’s more accurate to say that she fit the mold than to say she benefited from it. Was she supposed to “ugly” herself and then try to make it in the business in order to not sell out to Hollywood’s obsession with beautiful women? A major point of feminism is not having to change yourself for anyone else. And some feminists wear makeup, skirts, dresses. Modeling or selling makeup doesn’t make the act inherently anti-feminist.
I think what she’s doing is actually kind of awesome. Jezebel also has a really good article about it: http://jezebel.com/5900444/ashley-judd-writes-a-kickass-feminist-essay-about-her-puffy-face
Nicely put.
There’s a thoughtless glee to taking down women based on their appearance (she’s pretty she must be dumb – she’s ugly she’s useless) that is unparalleled when discussing men. I don’t think we need to go there either (male eating disorders are on the rise), but we could at least ask ourselves why and how we do this.
Like… her face looks puffy, but that doesn’t make her worthless as an actress or person. Female success is not a zero sum game. Unlike in the past, looks aren’t the only way to get ahead in life, as nothing but an attractive commodity, so it’s neither the only criterion for a woman being a success, nor do we have to compare ourselves to other women and root for their failure as though we need a spot to open up to get ahead.
As you say, let’s celebitchy, but thoughtfully, which is what is often great about this site.
ok, ok! you’re a gorgeous bitch! get over yourself already……..
The puffy face was noticeable. I thought she was doing a bunch of cocaine.
Like they say, aging ain’t for sissies. Ash should take a cue from Diane Lane.
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Look at all the sexist, abusive comments that have been allowed to pass. It just goes to show what a low-brow, crappy site celebitchy must be.
I hope Judd never, ever stops speaking out.
re: “At the very least, if you consider Ashley’s argument to be valid and without flaws, you have to admit that she was actively engaged with and profiting from this misogynistic system (that she’s now blasting) for years.”
Why should Ashley J be any different? SO many celebs – and non-celebs, for that matter – b*tch a great deal about this superficial capitalist system to which The Great We are in thrall, but yaknowhat? THEY/WE TAKE THE PAYCHECK ALL THE SAME. “It’s a horrible system that chews ’em up and spits them out, BUT I’m GONNA GET MINE. Yes, it’s exploitative, but I’m getting $3 million to appear in ‘Bath Salts & Ballyhoo III.'”
Ever notice how some actors – the ones We don’t hear about much, I imagine – that diss Hollyweird do most of their acting ON STAGE? Try THAT, Ashley.