Face: One Square Foot of Skin
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-26 19:31:28
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Justine Bateman
- ISBN：B08LHDHKHG
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Summary
Writer/director/producer Justine Bateman examines the aggressive ways that society reacts to the aging of women's faces。
Face is a book of fictional vignettes that examines the fear and vestigial evolutionary habits that have caused women and men to cultivate the imagined reality that older women's faces are unattractive， undesirable， and something to be fixed。
Based on older face experiences of the author， Justine Bateman， and those of dozens of women and men she interviewed， the book presents the reader with the many root causes for society's often negative attitudes toward women's older faces。 In doing so， Bateman rejects those ingrained assumptions about the necessity of fixing older women's faces， suggesting that we move on from judging someone's worth based on the condition of her face。
With impassioned prose and a laser-sharp eye， Bateman argues that a woman's confidence should grow as she ages， not be destroyed by society's misled attitude about that one square foot of skin。
Face is a book of fictional vignettes that examines the fear and vestigial evolutionary habits that have caused women and men to cultivate the imagined reality that older women's faces are unattractive， undesirable， and something to be fixed。
Based on older face experiences of the author， Justine Bateman， and those of dozens of women and men she interviewed， the book presents the reader with the many root causes for society's often negative attitudes toward women's older faces。 In doing so， Bateman rejects those ingrained assumptions about the necessity of fixing older women's faces， suggesting that we move on from judging someone's worth based on the condition of her face。
With impassioned prose and a laser-sharp eye， Bateman argues that a woman's confidence should grow as she ages， not be destroyed by society's misled attitude about that one square foot of skin。
Reviews
Karen Fayett
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This book changed my lookout on Life！I related so much with this book and the stories of the women in it。 I chose this book because I'm 55 and was not dealing well with aging。 I dont know how I even heard about the book but when I did I knew I wanted to read it！ It definitely has helped me realize that my sole purpose in life is NOT to look like I did in my 20's and that I have so much more to live for than that！ Thank you Justine。 This book changed my lookout on Life！I related so much with this book and the stories of the women in it。 I chose this book because I'm 55 and was not dealing well with aging。 I dont know how I even heard about the book but when I did I knew I wanted to read it！ It definitely has helped me realize that my sole purpose in life is NOT to look like I did in my 20's and that I have so much more to live for than that！ Thank you Justine。 。。。more
Traci O'Dea
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Justine Bateman's book should start a revolution。 The writing is compelling， honest， surprising， and artful。 Stories range from love stories to satire to science fiction （I mean， think of what women are doing to their faces）。 Everyone should read this book that brings light to the lies。 Justine Bateman's book should start a revolution。 The writing is compelling， honest， surprising， and artful。 Stories range from love stories to satire to science fiction （I mean， think of what women are doing to their faces）。 Everyone should read this book that brings light to the lies。 。。。more
Donna L。
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Read this book if。。。You have spent any time looking in the mirror and feeling scared of what you are seeing。 Read if you have ever looked in the mirror and felt less than because of your naturally aging face。 Read if you have ever been talking to people you have known all your life and were somehow ashamed of your naturally aging face。 A face that spent so much time loving the people and were now ashamed of showing that same face。 In a world where we are seeing hundreds of thousands of ads about Read this book if。。。You have spent any time looking in the mirror and feeling scared of what you are seeing。 Read if you have ever looked in the mirror and felt less than because of your naturally aging face。 Read if you have ever been talking to people you have known all your life and were somehow ashamed of your naturally aging face。 A face that spent so much time loving the people and were now ashamed of showing that same face。 In a world where we are seeing hundreds of thousands of ads about miracle creams that are the answer to your aging face， finally a voice saying you’re wonderful just the way you are！ 。。。more
Miriam Downey
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Read my full review here: http://mimi-cyberlibrarian。blogspot。c。。。Tonight as I was watching the PBS news， I paid special attention to Judy Woodruff， her guest Senator Capito， and a reporter Charlayne Hunter-Gault。 These were all women in their 60s and 70s and they presented themselves in all their power， faces and all。 They are the women that actress， writer， director and producer， Justine Bateman， is addressing in her new book Face: One Square Foot of Skin。 In this book， Bateman examines aging Read my full review here: http://mimi-cyberlibrarian。blogspot。c。。。Tonight as I was watching the PBS news， I paid special attention to Judy Woodruff， her guest Senator Capito， and a reporter Charlayne Hunter-Gault。 These were all women in their 60s and 70s and they presented themselves in all their power， faces and all。 They are the women that actress， writer， director and producer， Justine Bateman， is addressing in her new book Face: One Square Foot of Skin。 In this book， Bateman examines aging faces and describes the discrepancy between men’s aging faces and women’s aging faces。 She says that “traditionally， men’s older faces signify power， and women’s older faces signify a loss of power。” She goes on to say。 “I hated the idea that half the population was perhaps spending the entire second half of their lives ashamed and apologetic that their faces had aged naturally。” I was proud to see those women on the news。 They did not appear at all to be ashamed of their beautiful， intelligent faces。As Bateman entered her forties， she found that she was being treated differently than when she had been a young， fresh-faced ingenue。 As a consequence， Bateman chose to explore the issue of women’s faces through very short stories that are based on interviews she made with women of all ages。 The stories are intimate and are significant examples of the tenuous nature of women’s self-assurance and confidence。 The stories are very revealing because Bateman argues that a woman’s confidence should grow rather than deteriorate as she ages。 It should not be destroyed by society’s misled attitude about that “one square foot of skin。” I saw this happening recently when a woman I knew in her early 50s was forced to find a new job。 She knew that she was more than qualified for the job for which she was interviewing， but she worried that she might be too old。 Did her face have too many lines？ Were her eyes puffy？ Was her neck saggy？ Would her face be judged rather than her immense capabilities。Bateman feels that cosmetic surgery is a “Ponzi Scheme。” She wants women to walk out into the world with an attitude that says， “Fuck you！ I look great。” I would imagine that for celebrity women like Bateman， the pressure to “fix your face" is especially intense。 Occasionally， I get caught up looking at Facebook entries headed， “You won’t believe how （so and so） looks now。” Bateman has made me look at myself much more critically in the mirror， scanning my face for wrinkles， etc。 Other than a saggy neck and no eyelids or eyelashes， I am looking my age。 I think I feel worse about my flabby upper arm than by my saggy neck。Last night my book club met virtually。 There are twelve women in the club， with ages from 38 to 78。 They are all extremely intelligent， confident women with faces to match。 We were having a Zoom call with a well-known author， who was obviously impressed by our analysis of his book and of our questions。 I was so proud to be one of those beautiful， strong women。This is what Bateman’s book emphasizes—celebrate who you are， wrinkles and all。 As she says， "So， let's imagine that our one-of-a-kind faces are a new kind of NFT， a currency backed by a life lived without hesitation in the sunshine of good days and bad。" Read Face: One Square Food of Skin in conjunction with Women Rowing North that I reviewed last month。 Your confidence will be renewed。An interview with Justine Bateman in Vanity Fair。 Time magazine’s review concludes that Face is "an engrossing look at an issue that continues to be problematic for millions of women every day。" 。。。more
Colleen
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Grateful for this bookA much-needed perspective that has altered my own。 Most moved by the chapter of the dead woman reflecting on how much time she wasted obsessing over her one square foot of skin。
Kathleen Sams
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My father used to tease me by comparing me to Mallory Keaton on the 1980s sitcom Family Ties。 An airhead teen who cared only about shopping and boys。 Somewhere along my life journey， I internalized the idea that looks were more valuable than brains。 I never thought I was pretty enough。 My father never thought I was smart enough。 He seemed to like Mallory， though。 One day in college， I received a letter inviting me to join Phi Beta Kappa。 My first thought was， This is a mistake。 I spent years My father used to tease me by comparing me to Mallory Keaton on the 1980s sitcom Family Ties。 An airhead teen who cared only about shopping and boys。 Somewhere along my life journey， I internalized the idea that looks were more valuable than brains。 I never thought I was pretty enough。 My father never thought I was smart enough。 He seemed to like Mallory， though。 One day in college， I received a letter inviting me to join Phi Beta Kappa。 My first thought was， This is a mistake。 I spent years feeling that I was fooling people， unsure who I really was。 Justine Bateman is the actor who played Mallory Keaton more than thirty years ago。 Now a writer， director， and producer in her mid-fifties， Bateman has been accused of looking too old， too ugly， not taking care of herself。 Her lined face adorns the cover of her latest book Face， a collection of 47 narratives in which different women tell tales about their looks。 An advertising executive laments the role she played in making women feel they were flawed so the companies she represented could sell them products they didn’t need。 A wife is disgusted by her husband， pot-bellied with thinning hair， who makes comments about women who have “let themselves go。” A couple discuss a new client whose wife poses a threat to his business prospects because she has not had plastic surgery。 “ ‘He can’t be representing that company， and driving a Maserati， and then not fix his wife’s face。’ ” Bateman writes that the question society poses is no longer whether or not a woman should undergo cosmetic procedures， but when。 Should females in their twenties and thirties start Botox as a preventative measure， or wait until they are older？ A college professor in the book states that women are valued as long as they are able to procreate， an idea that many of us have heard， but one that no longer makes sense in the twenty-first century。 Instead of countering this argument， too many females try to erase their faces， hoping to look desirable rather than authentic。 Hollywood and photoshopped images in magazines and on social media perpetuate female ideals that are unattainable， even to the stars。 In recent days， a Kardashian sister tried to get rid of an unedited photo that an assistant had released online。 Her bikini-clad body looked real， unlike the one in the picture she later shared， her airbrushed features resembling those of a smooth-skinned， plastic Barbie doll。 Despite such efforts to hide perceived flaws and present an image of perfection， some women discover that men pay more attention to them after they stop coloring their hair and embrace their natural gray。 While some males do prefer younger females [often to bolster their own insecurities]， there are others who seek authenticity in a partner。 It takes confidence to go gray when your peers are dyeing their locks， and many men are attracted to confidence。 One of the narratives in Bateman’s book describes the reaction of a young American hairdresser traveling in Nice。 She watches a woman with an edgy style kissing a man on both cheeks。 “Nina wanted this。 It wasn’t just the look， it was the confidence， the way the woman moved。 It was all of it。” Then Nina sees the woman’s face—“Older。 Much older。 50， 55， Nina figured”—and appreciates the woman’s look even more。 “Her face seemed like some giant ‘fuck you’ to society， to the way women were ‘supposed to be’ at that age。” Nina “knew now that there was nothing that special about walking around with style and confidence and a smooth 24-year-old face and body。 But to have that style when people think you shouldn’t， to have that confidence at an age when no one expects it， to not follow any unwritten personality divestiture rules， that was something。”Bateman argues that， by making cosmetically altered faces the norm， we are harming all women—older women with wrinkles who are deemed unwanted and worthless and younger women who need role models。 Fairy tales feature old women as witches。 Evil and ugly。 In today’s society， women are too often told to be quiet。 To hide our personalities and conform。 Should we willingly erase our faces as well？ Bateman bears—and bares—her lines as evidence of a life well-lived， full of laughter， love， tears and travel， days in the sun and sleepless nights caring for children。 She encourages other women to do the same， and she explains in the introduction that she shared the stories of many women because she， as a reader， would want to hear more than one perspective and experience。 One weakness with the book is the fact that the other voices come from women identified by a first name， a profession， and an age。 I would have loved to see first and last names， but the 25 individuals who shared their stories with Bateman did so because she promised anonymity。 Telling the truth can lead to personal and professional backlash。 Women will have made real progress only when we no longer feel the need to hide。 Face provides a starting place。 。。。more
Carolyn
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I loved this book。 I think it’s relatable， honest， and not preachy。 I saw elements of myself in all of the women throughout the short stories。 I think it’s fascinating to look at aging from all different view points。 No matter what your current situation is or your socio-economic status， etc。 if you’re a woman you have some sort of feeling about aging and what that means to you， and for you。 I think this book speaks to all of that and it’s worth the read。
Joelle Egan
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Those of us who grew up in the 80s might best remember Justine Bateman from her role as Mallory in “Family Ties。” Her character was depicted as a stereotypical teen from that era: obsessed with materialistic success， appearance and conformity。 It is interesting in this context to read her latest work of collected stories， Face， which is a repudiation of those very values that she used to portray。 The book contains 47 short stories， each told by the point-of-view of American women of varying ages Those of us who grew up in the 80s might best remember Justine Bateman from her role as Mallory in “Family Ties。” Her character was depicted as a stereotypical teen from that era: obsessed with materialistic success， appearance and conformity。 It is interesting in this context to read her latest work of collected stories， Face， which is a repudiation of those very values that she used to portray。 The book contains 47 short stories， each told by the point-of-view of American women of varying ages and occupations。 The overarching theme is the marginalization of women once they reach a mature age， with or without opting for cosmetic surgery to mitigate its effects。 In the introduction， Bateman discusses how the perceived value of women after child-bearing age is greatly diminished， especially when compared to men of similar ages。 While the author is seeming to attempt a broad inclusion of different narrators， the book is heavily represented by the wealthy and privileged-especially those in the entertainment industry。 This is unsurprising given Bateman’s own probable circle of associates and experience but results in a sense of elitism and repetitiveness。 There is no mention of people for whom such surgeries are unavailable due to cost or opportunity， and the elective procedures are treated as choices available to all。 Bateman’s own opinion on the subject becomes very clear， and this book appears to act somewhat as a personal rebuttal to her own critics and competitors in her industries。 Those who choose to alter their appearance are for the most part disdained and judged as being superficial。 Face is a book with a clear agenda that is meant to be considered admirable and affirming， but unfortunately often comes across instead as didactic and one-sided。Thanks to the author and Akashic Books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review。 。。。more
Carol
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