Do You Think Wrinkles Are Attractive?

[MineralMan]

To heck with tattoos. What about those wrinkles, folks? I mean, who wants to look at old wrinkled, sagging skin? It's ugly and people shouldn't inflict it on the public. Wrinkles are for old people, and they should just stay home and not disgust the rest of us with their disgusting wrinkled skin, age spots, and who knows what else. I don't need to see that. Give me young people every time.

If I were hiring people, anyone who showed up and applied for a job with, you know, visible wrinkles wouldn't even have a chance. I mean, old people tend to be lazy, have grumpy attitudes, and like that. My customers don't want to look at decrepit old people with wrinkled skin, so I won't hire old people. Anyone over 40 can just find a job somewhere else, as far as I'm concerned.


Just in case anyone isn't getting it:

[hlthe2b]

1. You are being sarcastic, but this is far from parody...

A huge percentage of our society undoubtedly feels this way-- we are horrendously superficial as a people.

[MineralMan]

6. Indeed we are superficial. And about a lot of things.

We miss so much because of that. Which is my point, you see.

[Liberal_in_LA]

28. plus100

[snooper2]

64. Only if the wrinkles aren't shaved---

Nobody likes looking at hairy wrinkles

[DJ13]

2. I think tats on wrinkles looks great

like decorated prunes.

[tkmorris]

3. Okaaayyyyy. But you really cannot equate the two things

Which is what you are clearly trying to do.

[uppityperson]

7. Why can you not really equate the two things?

[sibelian]

54. Because wrinkles aren't unattractive and (lots of) tattoos are.

If people had somehow rearranged their wrinkles into pictures of skulls and aces of spades and dice and stuff, they'd look awful. Otherwise they just look normal.

[uppityperson]

55. Ah, because you feel so about wrinkles and tats, then it must be true for all? If wrinkles aren't un

unattractive, why do so many people spend so much money getting botoxed and other plastic surgeries to get rid of wrinkles? Why do people spend so much money on products trying to prevent wrinkles?

[sibelian]

58. Well *I* don't think wrinkles are unnattractive, is all I can say. I like REAL human bodies.

Last edited Fri Oct 11, 2013, 01:17 PM - Edit history (2)

That's one of the reasons's I'm put off by tattoos.

I've rarely seen any plastic surgery that doesn't look somehow wrong. Loads of it's awful.

I'm generally unconvinced that human bodies need things done to them to make them look better.

Some tattoos look really nice. I've been very impressed with one or two maori pieces and I've seen some really nice things involving leaves like ivy. Simple, elegant things like abstract patterns that actually follow the curve of the body and respect its natural shape always look good.

But I think words look dreadful. And don't even get me started on the garbage that passes for "tribal" these days, it's just looks so dreary and unimaginative, like someone thought "duuuuh, guess I better get a tattoo..." ... I'm sure you know what I mean, all that swirly spiky stuff that doesn't look like anything. Would you put crap like that on your wall? No? They why put it on your body?

Also pictures of peoples faces, dragons... blech. They're always so badly done.

I wouldn't mind tattoos so much if the content represented was nicer. Like I say, some of the abstract stuff that actually follows and compliments the lines of the body is genuinely gorgeous, becaue it respects the body. Stuff that just looks like someone got a big dragon or skull stamp and went BLART all over their body doesn't really look any better than graffitti, to me...

EDIT: had to fix some brackets... ! sorry...

[uppityperson]

59. True that. There is crap tattoos and there is good tattoos. There is flash and there is art.

Flash is premade, people look at drawings that are sold and put on walls and say "oh, that looks nice" whereas art is personalized, drawn just for that particular person and body and done well. A good tattoo artist will listen to the person and work with them to figure out what is meaningful to them, not just slap on whatever to make a quick buck.

NEVER put names on unless they are your parent, child or pet. And just because you can pick up a tattoo gun and use does not mean you know what you are doing. Or are safe.

[arcane1]

69. What a shitty post.

Welcome to DU. I hope you're treated with more politeness than you're displaying

[uppityperson]

88. Aw, I missed her. Well, actually I only missed her reply.

Her? Do not miss.

[sibelian]

86. Check this out...

Now THAT'S a tattoo...

[Jamastiene]

78. I like dragons and tattoos.

I have no tattoos at all though. I do love dragons and plan to decorate my workbench in my kitchen with one as soon as I get caught up on some other projects, probably some time this winter. I'm leaning toward a molera vaquero red dragon to match my kitchen decor. My point is different strokes for different folks. You may not like the dragon tattoos and some others, but I love dragon tattoos and dragons, in general, even in my kitchen. What it all comes down to is the person underneath the skin, when it comes to people. Objects and people are not the same. Are you saying you would not want to get to know someone who had a dragon tattoo or what? People are people, no matter what they have or don't have on their skin.

[sibelian]

85. Oh, I LOVE dragons.

theck this out...



I think it's excellent. I love the way the curves all lock together and support each other.

And this...



I think I like the black version best, I have to say. I think the final red one's a bit too fussy, for me.

Or how about this:



Such a clean, tidy arrangement of shapes! really nice.

And this...



Beauuuutiful. So carefully balanced.


It's just that most tats aren't anywhere near this good...

[Jamastiene]

87. Oh, wow. Those are beautiful. n/t

[MineralMan]

9. Of course I can. I can equate whatever I wish.

We judge people on their appearance. That's the poorest possible reason to form a judgement of another person. Whatever the appearance issue may be, it is the same error in judgment.

Tattoos, wrinkles, skin color, whatever. If you judge on appearance, you are going to be wrong. In fact, you are automatically wrong.

[Matariki]

53. ^this^

yes, indeed. this.

[quinnox]

4. Actually I think many older people look very good

Some actors look a lot more manly and attractive (in terms of being 'rugged') when they are older, in my humble opinion. As far as woman are concerned, it is not as common, but there are still some women who seem to retain all their appeal when they are older, and some can even have greater sex appeal.

[BainsBane]

11. Unreal

[HappyMe]

74. What now?

Helen Mirrin, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Julianne Moore and Diane Keaton are all beautiful women who are aging gracefully. Their life experiences, knowledge and yes, physical beauty make them sexy in an understated way. What is wrong with that?

[BainsBane]

91. Did you miss the part where he said men are attractive with age

while not many women are?

[HappyMe]

92. Meh.

It's his stupid opinion. Why give it credence?

The fact of the matter is, is that not all men or women age nicely.

[MineralMan]

13. How's this, quinnox?

Beautiful!

[uppityperson]

48. Omg she MUTILATED herself

omg om gom gomgomgomogmgomogm!!!!!!!!111111111111111111111111111111111

[BlueCaliDem]

17. Helen Mirren comes to mind. Meryl Streep. Sigourney Weaver. Jodie Foster.

All beautiful women aging gracefully.

On the other hand, Madonna's plastic surgery face looks BAD. She can afford the best plastic surgeons, yet they messed up her face and made her look fake. Ugh.

[enlightenment]

79. Did you really just write that?

Wow.

Some men are "more manly and attractive" and well, okay . . . maybe there are some attractive older women. Not as common, no, no, but there might be some that are okay (assuming, presumably, that they were attractive when they were younger and manage to "retain" their appeal).


yerk.

[quinnox]

89. I never said I was perfect

oh enlightened one

[enlightenment]

90. Well,

that's a given.

[uppityperson]

5. Do you think tanned skin is attractive?

It is ugly and who would want to inflict it on the public? All a tan shows is either you are a coomon laborer with minimal education and maybe not even legal or you are a rich kid with no work ethic beyond lazing around in the sun.


If I were hiring, I would never hire tanned people as it would send the wrong statement to my customers.



And thank you.

[MineralMan]

10. And what about freckles? A face full of blemishes.

I don't like them. In fact, I shun all people with freckles. It all goes back to that time in high school when that red-haired girl turned down my invitation to the Prom. That's how freckled people behave. And I'd never hire anyone with freckles. Who knows what they'd get up to, instead of working for me long hours at low wages?

I mean, would you hire someone who looked like this:

[uppityperson]

22. But one could argue that freckles are due to genes, not to the choices an individualmmakes though

another could argue they chose to not get them treated or removed and why hire someone who does not care about their appearance as that attitude carries over into the workplace.

[Left2Tackle]

52. Don't forget the dimples.

Look at those things...


...just look at them....

...still looking

ok, she is qualified right?

[B Calm]

8. sarcasm or disrespect to the elderly?

[MineralMan]

12. I'm elderly. I have tons of wrinkles.

I wouldn't even hire me!

[riqster]

14. I sure hope so

Because I have pah-LENTY of them. If they're not considered attractive, well, shit...

(Yes, I got your point in the OP. But as an American with a, shall we say, "topographic skin texture", I thought I'd post this.)

[MineralMan]

16. Me, too.

That's not me, by the way.

[riqster]

19. When I was on stage a lot, one guy told me

"You have a face that was made for radio!"

A great line, and it brought the house down. And he wasn't completely wrong.

Now I mostly do studio gigs. I'd like to find that guy, and tell him.

[Aristus]

15. Sarcasm noted, but: Yes!

When I first saw the woman who later became Mrs. Aristus, the first thing I noticed about her was her dazzling smile. The second thing I noticed about her were these little crinkles around her eyes. That someone gets, usually from smiling a lot.

I thought they were very attractive, and enhanced her overall beauty. I've been with her for nearly 20 years now, and those crinkly wrinkles, and the rest of her, just get more beautiful all the time.

[Lex]

18. Wrinkles aren't a choice.

Tattoos are. I'm for both!

[bunnies]

20. Hell no! Theyre trashy!

I dont understand why anyone chose to have them. People with wrinkles just come off as poor (they obviously can't afford surgery) and they sure as hell dont care about themselves or they wouldnt let themselves look like that. Gross!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

21. How about neck beards?

and mullets?

[Warren DeMontague]

25. No, I'd bet that making fun of that stuff is acceptable superficiality.

Really, we should make a list of what sorts of superficial snarky judgments are cool, and which ones are not.

[Squinch]

51. Only if worn together. Then they brighten everyone's day.

[MFM008]

23. wrinklie!

http://www.petyourdog.com/dog_pictures/chinese-sharpei-strong-face-and-brown-skin-staring/88

[Warren DeMontague]

24. they look GREAT, on these puppies!

no, really, puppies

[Nuclear Unicorn]

60. You stole my post

[Warren DeMontague]

93. If you want it

come and claim it

[calimary]

26. Judging from my own - NO!

[JoePhilly]

27. You should have gone with PIERCINGS ... we can all agree those are a huge turn off!

[Skittles]

29. they're much more attractive than the windblown-in-a-tunnel look

[Logical]

30. Really really stupid comparison! But assume you know it by now! nt

[dionysus]

34. no, not really. nt

[Logical]

36. Yes, normal aging process vs. paying someone to graffiti your skin! Nt

[dionysus]

38. both instances are about judging someone on a superficial level. both instances are bigoted.

and i'm no fan of tattoos or over the top piercings.

[Logical]

39. Like the clueless idiot who applied at our company with a Cowboys...

Tatto on his forehead! Dismissed! If you can cover them with normal clothes, then no problem.

So you think people wearing flip flops and torn jeans to a professional workplacenisok also?

[dionysus]

42. most people with tats don't have them on their forehead. pretty sure no one is defending that

as good common sense.

[Logical]

45. Answer my dress code question. n-t

[dionysus]

50. if you dress inapropriately for an interview, you'll likely not get hired.

didn't say I agreed with that either.

[LanternWaste]

43. I imagine many people judge the performance, the dedication and the output of a worker by little mor

I imagine many people judge the performance, the dedication and the output of a worker by little more than tattoos.

Though I'd also imagine that the person pretending to know those relevant traits based merely on an irrelevant tattoo are far less intelligent than they pretend to be, and project their own clueless idiocy onto others...

[Logical]

46. He might be a great worker. His decision to put a tattoo on his forehead showed me his...

decision making skills are weak.

[Iggo]

31. Depends on the wrinkle.

[Doremus]

32. Not a lot we can do to avoid aging, other than die. Skipping a tat? Way less permanent. nt

[dembotoz]

33. seems that i must--i am attracted to women my own age

and alas by definition that must mean older

[LuckyLib]

35. Touche! I am amazed now at how attractive I find people my own age --

I'm a boomer. Remember when we were young and thought a 50 year old was REALLY old? Now I look at folks 50+ and see the living underneath the wrinkles, and know my own face looks the same. One of life's rich lessons. Thanks for posting this!

[treestar]

37. It's never bothered me, in seriousness

I think the only reason people don't like them is that they are a sign of age.

[Warpy]

40. I know this is satire, but corporate America agrees with you

and starts to boot people out the door when they turn 50. If they're incredibly productive, they might last to 55, but no longer.

Don't want to get the office looking shabby, you know, it's depressing.

[IdaBriggs]

41. Wrinkles are earned. Tattoos are optional.

I understand what you were trying for, but it isn't working for me.

I am not a tattoo person. I associate them with poor judgment. That being said, have as many as you want because I have other things to worry about than this.

Really, who cares?

[maddezmom]

44. I get where you going with this

But I like tattoos and wrinkles depending on what is underneath the person...in other words not their appearance but what is in their heart. I am long past making judgements on what people look like on the outside.

[MineralMan]

47. Exactly.

[Rex]

49. Tatoos are voluntary, wrinkles not so much.

Somebody kick your pony, you mad bro?

[applegrove]

57. Wrinkles rock! Thay are a sign you have

lived and smiled a lot. Indeed some types of psychopaths don't get emotional type wrinkles because every human interaction is just a math problem to them. What are all these tattoo and wrinkle type threads in responce to?

[karynnj]

61. Not at all a good parody

The fact is there is age discrimination - and sometimes it isn't even conscious.

It is not a good parallel with tattoos, as none of us intentionally added wrinkles to our face. In fact, many have the wrinkles from doing what made them look good back in their childhood and teens - getting tans each year.

I do think that many older employers might miss very good employees if they allow things like tattoos to change their employment decisions. However, it is likely true that if the job requires them to be the person the company's clients meet first -- and the clients are likely to react negatively to the tattoos, it is fair to hire a similarly qualified person who is not obviously tattooed. (Think of the mall - anyone here can list stores where tattoos seem almost required and others where they would surprise you.)

Every guide for getting a job talks about appearance. Tattoos can be a part of that if they are positioned where a person can not avoid seeing them.

[MineralMan]

62. I'm sorry you feel that way.

You're correct that tattoos are something people choose to do, while wrinkles are a natural process. However, discriminating against either is discriminating on the basis of appearance. The result is the same.

Judging on appearance is, to me, a negative, in either case, and simply reflects prejudice. Prejudice is not a good way to form opinions, since it is not based on any actual reality.

[karynnj]

70. Judging on appearance can be, but is not always, prejudice

The example I gave of an employer choosing an employee shows that. If you are hiring a computer programmer, tattoos should not be a big deal - education, experience and ability should be the most important issues. If you were the manager of say - Talbots (as conservative a dress store as I could easily think of), would you hire a person whose arms are fully tattooed.) The opposite is harder to imagine, do you think Hop Topic would hire a little old lady with wrinkles and gray hair if they could hire a young girl who dressed like the store?

I think that we ALL make judgements based on looks. I assume that most people do not think out every interaction to every person who crosses their path within a day. Most interactions follow default patterns - thanking the person who opened the door, moving out of the way of people coming towards you, waving to acquaintances. If you are at all street savvy, you likely have at some point crossed the street - because it was better lighted or there was something that made you a bit uneasy on your side. In the truest sense of the word that is prejudice, but there is no malice in it. (This is especially true if the vague uneasiness is due to CHOICES in appearance, not race.)

[MineralMan]

72. Hmm...your last example gives you away.

No, I have not "crossed the street" in the way you describe.

You are correct that people do hire based on appearance. That, however, is not something I condone, frankly. Why should the nice old lady not be able to sell clothing to teenagers? Are the teenagers buying the woman? Same thing with Talbots and the person with tattoos. Pandering to what you believe your customers would prefer or not prefer is the same thing I'm talking about. It's pandering to prejudice, and I don't believe in doing that.

So, sorry, but I'm not buying it.

[karynnj]

83. You never were a 5 foot 3, 120 pound girl going to graduate school in the early 1970s

in NYC - mostly in the evenings.

I never was employed by a store - so I never had that decision to make. However, I have been a shopper for decades and my point is that that kind of decision is made as is obvious by the fact that you very rarely see people who do not conform to the image of the store.

The reason I used that example is that it is a job where appearance does play a role. Every job has criteria that the applicant must pass. The job I had required a certain education and clearly discriminated against people not holding the right degrees or the right GPAs.

[Xyzse]

65. When I was in my early to mid-20s...

I considered going after a divorced woman on her late 40s.

[MineralMan]

67. "Going after?"

I don't much like the sound of that, somehow. I don't believe I've ever "gone after" anyone, and can't imagine doing so. I've "shown an interest" in some women. I've "asked out" a number of women. I've even "courted" several. But I've never "gone after" anyone. I'd think that wouldn't be a very good tactic, generally.

[Xyzse]

71. Well, "pursue".

Though with me, it means to engage in more than a little mild flirtation.

I don't usually go beyond that.

[MineralMan]

73. Predators "pursue" their prey.

How's that all working out for you? Word choices matter, and often reflect other things. I don't know if that's true in your case, but...

I'm not quite sure what "engage in more than a little flirtation" might mean, either.

[Xyzse]

76. It's fine, thus far.

Perhaps, however I am using wording I get from books and whatever other people use in regards to going for a relationship, taking a plunge, and so forth. You may be right it may be poor word choice, though it is not something that I thought about. I guess looking for the sinister side on day to day wordings of people was never something I went for.

As for more than a little flirtation, it means going beyond talk to actually hanging out for dinner or other activities(such as movies or a class).

[MineralMan]

77. Just something to think about.

[Xyzse]

82. It is, thanks.

Though, I doubt I would call out people on things like that much.

I rather have a conversation on the topic at hand rather than getting distracted on semantics.

It is hard enough sometimes to think about certain topics, and I often grasp at straws as to how to say something, that I try not to get hung up on wording. Particularly when someone comes from a different place than I have been. It may be something regional, or the way they learned english.

Take me for example, I initially learned english as a second language. I get lost on many things that people say.

Any how, to the topic at hand.

It is in regards to wrinkles and attractiveness of someone older.
All I really meant is that, it has never been an actual barrier. I think the reason I was attracted to that person was that she was nice, we had a decent rapport and depended on each other for work. She is also more attractive to me than her daughter who is my age, but that was also because I liked talking to her mother far more.

[SwampG8r]

66. my wife swears she has some

but I cant tell I only see the 17 year old girl with the crazy hair and the legs forever

[MineralMan]

68. Yeah...my wife has no wrinkles either, as far as I can see.

Pretty remarkable at 58, I think.

[pipi_k]

75. I don't

find them either attractive, or unattractive, except for...

the wrinkles young people get as a result of spending too much time in the sun or in tanning beds.

Superficially trying to make themselves more attractive.

I've seen young women 20 or 30 years my junior with skin that resembles old shoe leather.

As opposed to them having been earned with age and wisdom, they were the byproducts of stupidity and vanity. So yes...those wrinkles are, IMO, unattractive and very sad.

[RebelOne]

80. I hate my wrinkles. But I am 74, so it is hard to stop them.

If I could afford cosmetic surgery, I'd do in a flash.

[MineralMan]

81. I'm 68. I have wrinkles. I don't care if I have wrinkles.

I care that there are things I can't do that I used to be able to do. That bothers me. My face doesn't bother me.

[seabeyond]

84. comparing this to tats does not work. wrinkles are inevitable. tats are choice. i do not care

about either. but, just sayin

[DonRedwood]

94. I love my wrinkles!

big hugs to wrinkles. mine and everyone else's.