Why I’ll Always Turn Down Free Botox

True beauty comes from within. (Photo: Trunk Archive / Stephanie Rausser)

I’ve always been obsessed with beauty and experimenting with trends. As a little kid, I dug through in my mom’s purse to snag swipes of her Revlon lipstick. As a teen, I mixed and created my own colorful nail polish long before Hard Candy came out. In high school, I experimented with Manic Panic, going Angela Chase red. In college, I stockpiled Nars bronzer and baked my fair skin in the sun for glowing cheeks and abs. Finally, in my 20s, I stopped trend hopping and embraced a look that was natural and celebrated the unique attributes I was born with. I also adopted an approach to beauty that was very authentic and low-maintenance — no more heat styling, hair coloring, or tanning. And I felt more confident and comfortable than ever.

Now, as a beauty editor in my early 30s, I’m bombarded with samples and pitches to try out new products and treatments on a daily basis. While I opt for makeup and creams that play up my natural appearance, I see many of my peers electing stronger and more permanent solutions. I never thought I’d have friends getting Botox and fillers at any age — but so young? Yes, our society is youth obsessed, and if media is to be believed, I’ve already passed my prime. But I refuse to spend the next 30, 40, 50, 60 years fixated on looking younger.

You know how people say, “I wouldn’t try that if it were free”? That’s me when it comes to Botox and plastic surgery. About once a week I receive an email about trying out the latest treatments — typically no strings attached. I delete them. Am I scared that trying something would potentially ruin my face? You bet I am! These procedures are supposed to make people look younger or “better,” but everyone who has work done ends up looking the same. To me, beauty is all about celebrating your differences and your unique features. I don’t want to look like a cookie cutter ideal of beauty. I want to look like me — the way I look right now. These smile lines and crinkles in the corners of my eyes? They show the world that I am happy and I have lived a great life. Why would I want to erase that?

One of my peers recently told me, “Well, I never thought I would try Botox, but I went to an event and the needles were out, so I thought, why not?” I’ve heard similar statements since, and it shocks me that nowadays altering your face can be such a casual afterthought — like getting an impulse candy bar at checkout. Another industry friend confessed, “I’m starting to think I should have work done while I still work in beauty so I don’t have to pay for it.” Should the free element play a factor in being OK with changing your appearance? Especially and what I consider a particularly young age? For many people it does. Some naysayers claim I’ll change my mind when I’m older, but I just can’t imagine it. All the women I feel are most beautiful show the signs of a life well lived on their faces, and I want to be one of them. Not a 34-year-old beauty editor with a tight face full of free Botox.

Sure, beauty can be enhanced on the outside, but true beauty, to me, is what you’re born with and what you grow into. Advancing technology in Botox, fillers, and invasive procedures may be a huge part of my industry, but I’ll be actively ignoring it. I’d much rather educate myself and others on how we can feel good in our own skin.

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