Feminist Fatale

By Karen Hanson

Can a feminist get a face lift and still uphold her ideals?

Like a pair of well-worn jeans, feminism comes in many styles: Third Wave, Moderate Amazon, Eco and Pop are just a few. Regardless of their particular affiliations, however, most feminists share one core belief: men and women should be equal – politically, economically and socially. Some people have argued that this goal of complete gender equality has already been achieved. Feminism is dead, say the proponents of post-feminism. So why has cosmetic surgery brought so many women to the podium, resurrecting feminism from the grave?
Recently, celebrities including Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Rosie O’Donnell have spoken out against Reality TV shows such as The Swan, Extreme Makeover and MTV I Want a Famous Face. “These shows are wrong, and for all the little girls who are watching them, [it’s] like the women’s movement never happened,” O’Donnell lamented on a recent episode of The View.
Other celebs – including Jamie Lee Curtis, Sarah Jessica Parker and Halle Berry – have lashed out at cosmetic surgery in general. “I do think we’ve become obsessed with beauty and the fountain of youth and, frankly, personally, I’m really saddened by the way women mutilate their faces today in search of that,” Berry said at a press conference in London to promote her latest movie, Catwoman. Curtis came clean about her own cosmetic enhancements (fat removed from under her eyes, liposuction and Botox), while Parker and Berry are both rumoured to have had rhinoplasty, though neither admits to it.
One homegrown feminist who has made no attempt to hide her cosmetic procedures is 54-year-old Jayne Hobbs, whose Toronto-based company CNoMA produces New You, the largest cosmetic enhancement show in North America. In November 2001, Hobbs had a forehead lift, mid- and lower-face lifts and lower-eye surgery. She was quite open with her procedures: she shared her experiences with Elevate in our Spring 2002 issue and let her surgery be filmed for the TV show Skin Deep. Hobbs’ reasons for undergoing surgery were both personal and professional. “I wanted to look the way I felt inside – I felt much younger than … I was looking physically,” she says. “Also, working in the beauty industry, my appearance has always been important to me. And this tends to be a ‘young’ industry.” Does Hobbs feel her actions conflicted with her beliefs? “I had no qualms about surgery for any feminist reasons,” she explains. “I am liberated enough to make my own personal choices without feeling intimidated in any way,” she says.
For 53-year-old Karen Fagan, being a feminist and wanting to look attractive have never been mutually exclusive. Like many women, she had gone through “different stages” in terms of how she has felt about her looks. Three stages, in particular, stand out for the retired private school principal, who lives in Meaford, Ont. At university, where she did her major paper on the women’s movement, Fagan rebelled against traditional gender roles, refusing to wear makeup or high heels. “Even in those days, in the back of my mind I did feel it was important to be attractive,” she admits. “But looks were something to worry about – later. In her 30s, Fagan considered cosmetic surgery for the first time. After having two C-sections she wanted to get a tummy tuck, but in those days her doctor told her she was too young for the procedure. Turning 50 marked a third milestone for Fagan. “It’s a critical time – you really start to see the signs of aging,” she says. “It can be quite traumatic.” Fagan emphasizes, however, the empowering side of aging. “Woman reach a point where they truly mature. They feel stronger in who they are and have a well-earned sense of entitlement. It could be as simple as going out in a wild and crazy outfit. You do things for yourself and stop caring about what other people think.” Fagan says she feels “comfortable in my own skin” and has now ruled out cosmetic surgery because of a heart condition that would simply put her at too great a risk. “I’d be mortified to die in surgery because of my own vanity,” she says, laughing at her choice of words. Instead, she’s considering such non-invasive treatments as Restylane and maintaining a well-balanced diet.