I don't like being anti-anything in midlife. I think staying open-minded and positive is one of the best ways to keep your spirit and mind feeling young.
But when White Lotus actress Aimee Lou Wood, 31, recently described herself as "very anti-Botox,", I couldn't help but relate. Not because I'm on a soapbox about what anyone should or shouldn't do to their face, but because I believe that we desperately need to see more women like Aimee aging in real time, with faces that actually move.
Aimee is showing the world that expression, character, and soul don't have to be ironed to be classed as beautiful. And as a Beauty Editor who is approaching 49, I find that incredibly powerful. In fact, I believe that one of the main reasons that so many of us connected so deeply with Chelsea, the soulful character that Aimee played in The White Lotus, was because of her Botox-free face.
© HBOAimee's face was full of emotion. You could read her feelings from her expressions. The way she raised an eyebrow and squinted with confusion when her wine glass wasn't filled during one of the restaurant scenes. How it was so full of emotion when she greeted Rick on the beach after his trip to Bangkok. Her expressions took you on an emotional journey through the plotlines. And as the old saying goes, you could literally "read her face like a book."
And that's something my mum has always said to me: "Your face is like an open book." Because just like Aimee, I've chosen not to go down the Botox route. Even as someone in the beauty industry who is constantly being offered injectables for free, I choose to keep my face full of expression.
© trenton butlerBotox free in midlife
I am almost two decades older than Aimee, and I won't lie - of course I have been tempted to go down the Botox route. "You only need a bit to get rid of those stubborn eleven lines that are getting deeper between your eyebrows," people say. And I get it! But then where does it stop? If I smooth those out, do I keep going and "fix" everything?
And actually, there are moments when those lines and furrows work for me. I review skincare almost daily on social media, and my followers often tell me how much they love seeing my genuine reactions. Expression builds a connection after all. It shows personality, it makes you human.
And maybe that's the whole point: our faces are meant to move. They're meant to tell our stories.
Speaking honestly
In the last few days, Aimee shared her upset about an SNL sketch that mocked her White Lotus character by portraying her with exaggerated prosthetic teeth. Speaking honestly about being bullied for her teeth in childhood, she shared on Instagram that the sketch felt "mean and unfunny," questioning why, in a scene full of political characters, she was singled out for what she looked like.
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Aimee led this real-life storyline with as much honesty, humour and vulnerability as her character did in the HBO show, and she's demonstrating that there's beauty in authenticity. That your face doesn't have to be filtered, frozen or flawless to deserve the spotlight.
© HBOSo maybe the next time that you find yourself squinting at your reflection or wondering if it’s time to "fix" something, pause for a moment, and ask yourself: What if I let my face keep telling my story?
Every laugh line, every crease and furrow, even a raised eyebrow - there's a power in choosing expression over perfection. And if more of us start showing up that way, maybe we will change the expectations of what beauty should look like. Which is important not just for ourselves, but for the next generation too.
