"It must be murder to be an aging beauty, a former Tadzio, to see your future as an ignored spectator rushing up to meet you like the hard pavement. What a small sip of gall to be able to time with each passing year the ever-shorter interval in which someone's eyes focus upon you. And then shift away."

What a brilliant, if not painful insight. So beautifully written. I've been reading and re-reading these words of Rakoff's all day and finding that they help make sense of the rush to nip, tuck, pull, suck and fill.

Sadly though, I often find my eyes shifting quickly away from some of the more carefully reconstructed faces because the result of so much surgery is sometimes less attractive than its natural alternative. Even so, I think I'm beginning to understand why it's at least worth a shot for some people. Grace in the thrall of aging isn't an easy thing to accomplish. Harder still is dealing with the pain of becoming invisible.

Thanks to Mr. Rakoff for helping me understand the phenomenon a little better and nudging me a little closer to compassion in the process.

Strong writing like this on such a provocative topic makes me want to read the whole book. I do wish the before and after photos had been posted along with all the talk about Rakoff's face.

My God but can he write!

This was wonderful. Insightful, witty, clever and charming. And I am off to the library to get a copy of his book!

I was skimming the headlines trying to decide which to read. David Rakoff's picture triggered, "Hey, that's the guy who killed on the Daily Show!" Had to click in.

Henceforth, each infant will have their faces sandblasted off their skulls. As faceless generations pass and this becomes the norm, no one will give a damn what they or anyone else looks like. Let a thousand flowers bloom!