Face: One Square Foot of Skin

 By Justine Bateman

Akashic     2021

270 pages     Social Science

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."