Gen X Journey

God, I love this time of year. It’s awards season and get to do two of my favourite things–watch TV and clothes criticising (this from person whose preferred footwear is a pair of Havianas).

Golden Globes last week (see my ode to Toni Collette) and today, SAG awards. And what a nice little surprise I got when I saw Nicole Kidman in an outfit so far removed from her usual look that she might as well have been in Mars. It’s not that I didn’t like it (I did, lots of others didn’t), but wow, Nicole, total 180, and you know, it’s not before time.

Nicole has been sporting the ice princess high glamour look since her career took after after that messy debacle with that couch-surfing bastard Tom Cruise. She went all Chanel-y, Karl Largerfeld-y and blonde-y. A good look for the time, but it eventually started to alienate us all. Looking that perfect made her, well, Stepford Wife-y. Her career also started to take a caning with her performance in Australia the climax. Actually I didn’t think she was that bad, but you know, critics everywhere.

Anyway where Nicole really lost us all is when she went all botox-y. And yes you can stop denying it young lady. Nicole declared that she would never touch botox and her line free face was the result of sun-avoidance. Who was she kidding? The only part of her face that moved were her lips which grew exponentially. Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a bit of botox, filler or anything else that you need to stop the march of time (and if you’re a movie star then god knows you are under more pressure than the rest of us mere mortals). In fact I applaud the use of botox. But what really, really annoyed me was Nicole’s denial that she used botox. Gosh, Madam Tussaud’s wax image of Nicole had a wider range of facial gestures that real Nicole. That’s when everyone went right off Nicole because Nicole was a big ole liar.

Well Nicole, you clever girl, whatever your doing to yourself right now, keep on doing it. Check her out at the SAGs. Darker, free flowing hair, cool jewels, funky dress (Oscar De La Renta), are you lips looking less like overinflated and is that actual movement in your face. She got it very right. In fact she looked years younger. And the body language with her old nemesis Penelope Cruz, they actually looked like they might be friends. So mature. (By the way do you think they talk about Tom Cruise–can’t see why no one else does.) Nicole, all is forgiven!

While your here, I’ll tell you my Nicole story (no I didn’t get to meet her or anything like that–it’s pretty lame really). Years ago, when I was about 18 I got my makeup professionally done for something or other. You look gorgeous, said the makeup lady. You look like, like…I know Nicole Kidman. Well was I underwhelmed. Nicole had just appeared in Dead Calm and she hadn’t yet attained the glamorous look she would sport in Hollywood. Shit, I look like Nicole Kidman, all white skin, freckles, skinny face and big hair. I was very, very sad. I wanted to look like Brooke Shields, not bloody Nicole Kidman.

Well wasn’t I wrong. I so want to look like Nicole Kidman now. Think it might take more than a professional makeup session, though.

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