Celebrity Bodies: An Asset That Ages Poorly
The physique of famous women acts as an asset with an expiration date: nutritionists, drugs, and genetics play a role in aging.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The Bodies of Famous Women as Assets: From Glamour to Wear and Tear
The industry that thrives on aging doesn't sell youth: it sells antiestéticar. And occasionally, it puts a face to it. Comments about presenter Terelu Campos and American actress Jennifer Love Hewitt have focused on their bodies, not their work. The phenomenon isn't new, but it is revealing: a famous woman's physique functions as a tradable asset, appreciating when young and depreciating without warning. No one asks how many years they've been working. Only how many kilos they have left.
Why Does a Famous Woman's Physique Command Value Like an Asset?
An actress or presenter doesn't just sell talent. She sells an image that is hired, renewed, and, if necessary, amortized. The logic is that of any asset: as long as the market wants it, its value rises; when it no longer fits the showcase, it falls. The tempus fugit that someone recalled —Virgil's quote, 'time flies irrevocably'— summarizes the problem in four words. What's curious is that the wear and tear is always measured by the same yardstick.
Underlying this is an uncomfortable idea: that beauty is capital with an expiration date, and renewing it costs money. How much is the question no one fully answers.
The Anti-aging Business: Nutritionists, Surgery, and Drugs
This is where the economy of repair comes in. Some argue that with a sufficient budget, wear and tear can be slowed down: a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a surgeon, and a discipline that borders on a full-time job. The prevailing calculation is simple: those with wealth also have access to the best version of themselves, even if the final result depends on something that cannot be bought.
That something is genetics. And the evidence regarding it is stubborn: some age well after decades of excess, while others take care of themselves relentlessly and still decline. A weight-loss injection is also mentioned as a shortcut that makes what once required a scalpel cheaper. The fine print —who pays for it, who needs it, what are its effects— remains outside the headline.
Tempus Fugit: The Double Standard of Aging in Public
The contrast is highlighted by a striking example. Alongside the judgment for wear and tear is the opposite case: Sabrina Salerno, attributed 58 years of age, is still cited as proof that the passage of time doesn't always take its toll. If some age worse and others better, the individual factor weighs more than any manual.
What changes with gender is the severity of the judgment. For men, gray hair is considered distinguished; for women, every wrinkle is scrutinized. Not always with bad intentions: sometimes the standard is set by the industry itself, which manufactures muses with a short shelf life and then withdraws them without warning.
When will we stop measuring a professional by her weight and start measuring her by her work? It's the only calculation that never adds up.
The industry that thrives on aging doesn't sell youth: it sells antiestéticar. And occasionally, it puts a face to it. Comments about presenter Terelu Campos and American actress Jennifer Love Hewitt have focused on their bodies, not their work. The phenomenon isn't new, but it is revealing: a famous woman's physique functions as a tradable asset, appreciating when young and depreciating without warning. No one asks how many years they've been working. Only how many kilos they have left.
Why Does a Famous Woman's Physique Command Value Like an Asset?
An actress or presenter doesn't just sell talent. She sells an image that is hired, renewed, and, if necessary, amortized. The logic is that of any asset: as long as the market wants it, its value rises; when it no longer fits the showcase, it falls. The tempus fugit that someone recalled —Virgil's quote, 'time flies irrevocably'— summarizes the problem in four words. What's curious is that the wear and tear is always measured by the same yardstick.
Underlying this is an uncomfortable idea: that beauty is capital with an expiration date, and renewing it costs money. How much is the question no one fully answers.
The Anti-aging Business: Nutritionists, Surgery, and Drugs
This is where the economy of repair comes in. Some argue that with a sufficient budget, wear and tear can be slowed down: a personal trainer, a nutritionist, a surgeon, and a discipline that borders on a full-time job. The prevailing calculation is simple: those with wealth also have access to the best version of themselves, even if the final result depends on something that cannot be bought.
That something is genetics. And the evidence regarding it is stubborn: some age well after decades of excess, while others take care of themselves relentlessly and still decline. A weight-loss injection is also mentioned as a shortcut that makes what once required a scalpel cheaper. The fine print —who pays for it, who needs it, what are its effects— remains outside the headline.
Tempus Fugit: The Double Standard of Aging in Public
The contrast is highlighted by a striking example. Alongside the judgment for wear and tear is the opposite case: Sabrina Salerno, attributed 58 years of age, is still cited as proof that the passage of time doesn't always take its toll. If some age worse and others better, the individual factor weighs more than any manual.
What changes with gender is the severity of the judgment. For men, gray hair is considered distinguished; for women, every wrinkle is scrutinized. Not always with bad intentions: sometimes the standard is set by the industry itself, which manufactures muses with a short shelf life and then withdraws them without warning.
When will we stop measuring a professional by her weight and start measuring her by her work? It's the only calculation that never adds up.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (140 replies).
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