Awaiting The Launch Of 'Observer, Jr.'
From the Observer's September article, "The Botox Babies":
At the height of what should be their ugly-ducking phase, New York teens look as sexy and smooth as heroes Lindsay Lohan, Mischa Barton and Hilary Duff, who are 18, 18 and 17, respectively....Hey, remember the oily years of awkward adolescence? Chances are, someday, these girls won't....Remember braces? It used to be that the only attractive thing about metal braces were the optional colored rubber bands, though even they left one's mouth looking like Vegas. Now Invisalign's clear braces set teens' teeth straight imperceptibly — humiliation not included...."When you're 15, you think a cute little nose is what you want — but when you get older, your aesthetic sense changes."
From "High School Beauty," an essay in this month's issue of Allure:
For breakouts I used the very strong Retin-A, but today there are other, better choices. Teens can request clear braces now, whereas my three siblings and I wore the glittery silver sort...It's undeniable that today's teenagers, especially girls, are far more pulled-together and less awkward in every possible way than my peers and I were. But I'm not sure the eradication of awkwardness is a good thing ...I can't help but wondering about the adult woman who gets stuck for the rest of her life with a 15-year-old's idea of a great nose.
An old idea never gets old, does it?