- I'm smoothing you out because you're so pretty.
- I don't like the idea of plastic surgery.
- I think that it would help.
- I wouldn't go after any girl that's had
like any surgery.
- It takes longer to park and drive into Beverly Hills
than to get Botox.
- There's more to life than wrinkles.
- And maybe it's time.
- Ahhhhh!
(playful music)
I'm Rose Surnow.
I'm a comedian and a writer and I'm 33 years old.
Which I know for Buzzfeed is like she's too old
what is she doing in front of the camera,
she should be dead by now.
I got my very first wrinkles.
These two little lines right here, like a year ago.
I just woke up and I looked in the mirror,
I was washing my face and I was like, what?
No, no way!
And it really freaked me out.
I kept like spreading my eyebrows apart,
just hoping that it wouldn't come back.
Of course it did, cause that's what a wrinkle is.
And the first thing that I thought was, should
I get Botox?
I think the weird thing about wrinkles
and the weird thing about being in your 30's,
in general, is clearly being in your 30's, you're
still young and you can still be super attractive,
but when you find a wrinkle on your face, it kind
of is the first time you feel a little bit old.
At least I did.
I was like, oh, I'm not like young anymore.
Looking old in any way, I feel like in this youth
obsessed culture is considered somewhat of like,
failure.
And then you feel way less attractive like
no matter what else I look like it's like all I
could see.
And I've never really been that focused on my looks
before.
I'm six feet tall and I'm super skinny and I have
a big nose.
And I've been that way since I was little,
so I never fit in or looked normal.
I was teased a lot growing up.
I was never like a popular girl, but I didn't care
because I really liked myself and I was cool
and I was smart and I played music and I
wrote poetry.
So, my self esteem and self confidence never came
from my looks and that's why I was feeling
so conflicted about my wrinkles, is because
I'm a feminist and the people that I look up to
are cool, smart, intelligent women and intellectuals
and they don't give a fuck about the way they look,
but you can't help it.
Like, I do care about the way I look and I want
to feel and look attractive.
I want to feel and look my best and that's
why it's been such a conflict for me.
So, what we're gonna do is, first we're
gonna hit the streets and ask regular LA citizens
what they think about my face and then I'm
gonna have a consultation with a plastic surgeon
and explore that age old female conundrum,
whether or not I should get Botox.
Let's hit the streets and find out what's
wrong with my face.
How old do you think I am?
And answer honestly, you don't have to worry about
my feelings or anything.
- Hmm, maybe 38ish.
(laughing)
- That's nice.
- I'd say 24.
- Ew, Courtney.
- 37?
- 36, 35.
- I'm 33 but that's okay.
- 28 or 29.
- Thank you.
I'm 33, keeping fresh, a little bit but also,
a little bit not and that's what we're here
to talk about.
Do you notice my wrinkles?
- A little bit.
- Do you think that I should get Botox?
- No, I don't believe in that kind of thing.
We're just meant to be like the universe made us.
- No.
- And why not?
- Because it doesn't last long enough.
You'd spend a fortune just trying to redo it,
and screw it.
- I think you should go au naturel, you're
beautiful as is.
- You might just want to stop frowning so deeply
when you express yourself.
- That's a big part of my personality.
- You will really regret in like 10 years
from now.
- Why would I regret it later?
- Because your face, gonna be like so different.
- Botox stops you from expressing your face
and so much of what is attractive in a person
is how they express themselves.
- There's plenty of actors and actresses that are
like, just embrace that sort of, look of the old age.
- Who?
- Judi Dench.
- Are you attracted to Judi Dench?
- Hmm, nope.
(laughs)
- People are incredibly nice and kind.
Most people were like, no don't do it.
And then a couple of people were like,
yeah, you should definitely do it.
- I think as long as you're paying enough
money to have Botox, it doesn't become a disaster,
I think that's okay.
- Do you think it's a good idea?
- I don't think it's a bad idea.
- Absolutely, if there's anything you want
to fix in yourself, like why not fix it?
- If I got Botox then how old would I look?
- 21.
- Uh oh.
I might need Botox.
- I think a little Botox here and there
is probably one of the least excessive way
of taking care of your skin and it's good
to start early.
- So have you ever had Botox?
- I have.
I'm part of the club.
- I may join.
We talked to a woman who had had Botox and she
couldn't do it for a year because she was pregnant
and she just had lines on her face again,
so I guess Botox also kind of feels like
very existential, it's like sisophysian,
it's like moving the rock of aging up the hill
just for it to roll down again, it just seems
kind of crazy to do something that's always
gonna go back.
And how old were you when you started doing,
what is it called?
- Dysport, Botox, um, it's the same family
but um, 25.
- But you're not even 30, why do you get it.
- Preventative, my destiny has no wrinkles in it.
- I went through the same thing this year.
I got some deep creases on my forehead
and I want Botox so I'm thinking about it
for Christmas.
Inside I feel good, I don't feel like I'm old,
I just don't like how my appearance is changing
to look old.
- Do you think you would get Botox if you
had wrinkles?
- Yes, probably.
- I wouldn't be opposed to it.
I mean, youth is valued, right?
- Yes, I would.
- Yes, absolutely.
I do think that there's a lot more scrutiny
applied to women than men when we age.
- You never know, I may need a little touch up
at some point.
- Do you think that you can still be like a feminist
and get plastic surgery?
- My god, yes, I hate that.
- I don't think so.
Isn't that kind of weird?
- Absolutely, I don't think one negates the other.
We're all a big massive conflict anyway.
- Probably not because feminism to me is all
about, you have to love yourself and be comfortable
in your own body.
- Why should you kind of conform to society's
expectations that you need to look a certain way?
- I think if you want to just make yourself
beautified, why not?
I can still be a feminist, girl power.
- The men on the street was interesting.
People were incredibly kind, really open,
really shared.
The young women in their 20's with perfectly
smooth skin and no wrinkles and no gray hairs
was like, don't get Botox.
That's crazy, girl, be you.
And as much as I love the girl power opinion,
it's like, you don't have any experience yet,
so call me in 10 years when you have wrinkles
and then we'll talk.
The older women were the ones who were like,
listen sister, been down that road,
been in the trenches, now I'm a little
more conflicted because I do want to look
natural and like myself but I also want to look banging.
So, we're heading to Beverly Hills to talk
to a plastic surgeon and see what she has to say
about my wrinkles.
- My name is Dr. Linda Li and I'm a board certified
plastic surgeon.
I have an incredibly busy Botox practice and I
see up to 20 to 30 patients today for Botox alone.
So, I understand that you're interested in some
facial rejuvenation as we're getting a little older?
- I like that you said we, like it's not just me.
- I completely empathize with Rose and her
concerns about the way she's aging.
We all need a little help.
We can't stop it from, from time passing,
but we can slow it down a little bit.
When I was 31 years old, I began to notice
the two little lines between my brows.
I started Botoxing and now this is me super angry.
- I wasn't sure about Botox.
To be honest, I have like, trepidation.
I think one of my Botox fears is like,
I don't want to look weird or shiny.
I don't want people to know.
- Rose is very typical in terms of her concerns
about Botox.
We see so many celebrities who have been
over Botoxed and they look like they have Botox
in their faces.
- Do you think I would look younger?
- I think you would look less worried.
- That's my whole personality.
(laughing)
- You would look less worried.
- I wouldn't be Jewish anymore.
- You'd still absolutely be Jewish.
- It's an interesting point.
The wrinkles that I have, the 11's
as she called them.
Those are wrinkles from worrying.
Even when I'm totally relaxed, I still have them
and it looks like I'm maybe angry.
Do you think I should get Botox?
- It's all about you.
We can do it I a manner that allows you to still
look natural, to have some natural facial expression
but not to the extent where we are constantly
frowning.
- So not like.
- [Dr. Li] Yes.
- [Rose] Can you do any of that?
- No.
- This is me,
looking super angry. - Both look like they're mad.
- Okay, now what.
- Lifting our brows.
- Smiling. - And a big smile.
- Do you think you can be a feminist and still
get plastic surgery?
- I think the reason why women do things
like dye our hair, wear cosmetics, do Botox,
is because we enjoy looking good and if I
want to feel good about who I am and part
of that is looking good, then more power to me.
- Can you tell me if I did decide to go forward,
what the procedure would be?
- It literally takes us 30 seconds to inject you
with five little injections in between your brows.
For your forehead, it would be eight little
injections, for your crows feet, I'd do three
on each side.
- Doctor Li, thank you so much for talking to us.
I'm going to have to think about my forehead
but I'm not gonna scrunch my face while I think.
And I really appreciate it.
- Absolutely, my pleasure.
- So that concludes our Botox adventure.
The question remains, should I get Botox?
Drum roll, please.
(drum roll)
The answer is no.
I am deciding to not get Botox right now.
The truth is, being in that plastic surgeon's
office kind of felt a little off to me.
It just felt like, what am I doing here?
Like all the women that were there were much
older than I was.
I think 33 is still young and I think that I have
my whole life to forget about my looks and I
think I'm going to postpone that for another
20 years.
You know, I don't look young but I think I look
like me and that's what I want to look like.
I think, what the wrinkles and gray hair mean,
I need to step up and be a real adult because
my body's telling me that I physically am one.
With each new wrinkle I get, I think it's just
going to be quickly like less devastation over my looks
being gone and more of just a little bit
of a mooring for like a certain chapter in my life
that's closing.
This whole experience has just left me feeling
really empowered and I think the reason why
is, the only reason why anyone gets any plastic
surgery is to feel better about themselves
and I'm so excited about things that have
nothing to do with my looks, like my career,
my friendships, and my life.
I think what makes me feel most attractive
is when I'm happy and doing things that
I'm proud of and that I like.
So, yeah, I guess it's like one day I'll
have a zit on my face, one day I'll have a wrinkle,
whatever.
I'm doing what I love and I think I'm going
to feel bangin'.
(upbeat music)