Released On 08 June 2026
Linda’s Blog: Botox, Barbie And Being The Odd One Out
Watching friends embrace Botox and jabs tests Linda's values and resolve.
There was a time when botox belonged to celebrities: people whose careers depended on being camera ready under unforgiving lights and high definition lenses. My friends and I understood appearance was their professional currency and felt both sad and angry that that for older women this was often the only way they could preserve their careers.
In recent years we’ve noticed that it’s been our young work colleagues who have filled their lips, augmented their cheeks and, in a manner we found baffling, frozen their faces before lines had even developed. Conscious that experience was etched on our own faces, my friends and I wondered if the fact we felt no need for such tweakments was linked to the confidence we felt in our own jobs and relationships. We were buoyed by the likes of Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz who boldly advocate natural ageing and agreed we would grow old gracefully.
But then my friend who worked in beauty caved (inevitably), then my friend who was reclaiming her life after escaping her ex’s coercive control (she deserved anything that would rebuild her confidence) and then my friend in PR (par for the course). The gentle creep became more pervasive and then, halfway through a meal, I suffered a brutal sucker punch when I realised the innermost circle had been pierced and my best friend’s forehead was frozen too. Like their lines, the years melted away and I was taken back to the horrors of being a teenager, feeling betrayed and deceived on discovering I’d been left out and my friends had been to a party which I hadn’t been invited to.
As time has marched on it’s become clear I’m not just on the sidelines when it comes to aesthetics. Changing faces have been overtaken by vanishing bodies. I have found myself speechless on several occasions when a friend I haven’t seen for a while has turned up sporting a new Barbie doll figure. Much like people claiming smooth skin is down to skincare, the weight loss jabs have been denied and pilates has been cited as the reason for the sudden size zero.
The implausibility of this has left me feeling insulted (how could they possibly think I believe it?) but overall I am worried. I worry about the impact of these new social norms on my children, both girls, especially given GLP-1 is endorsed by the NHS, if not designed for my previously size 12 friends. I also worry for myself. Because I am tempted, sorely tempted.
Botox and slimming jabs go against everything I believe in: hard work, not quick fixes; being careful with money and valuing what’s on the inside. But I don’t want to be the odd one out and the truth is, perimenopause has hit me hard. At 47 I don’t recognise my face in the mirror. Having learnt over many years how to flatter a pear shaped body, I now also have a tummy. My memory is unreliable and my self confidence is shot. And all around me, I see friends who are happy being younger looking, thinner versions of their former selves.
My long held belief that looking good relied upon eating a varied diet of largely home cooked meals, and squeezing in as much exercise as the long hours of my sedentary job allow, is wavering. What is the point of values if they leave me feeling “less than”?
In reality I am both fearful of the unknown and slow to prioritise anything for myself, especially if it could be considered narcissistic. In any case, my lines are so well established it’s probably too late and I won’t do anything that would amount to double standards if I had to explain my choices to my children. For now I will double down on my gratitude diary, refocus on my food choices and up my spending on lotions and potions. One thing’s for sure: if I’m lucky enough to still be here in 20 years time, I know I’ll look back at photos of me now and marvel at how I could possibly have thought I looked old. Whether that wisdom will prove stronger than vanity remains to be seen.
Linda is a lawyer with two children. She and her husband both work full time and juggle the school run and everything else between them.
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