Profile Picture Daze

Earlier today I was surfing linkedin to see what folks had to share. Also went looking through the “People You May Know” section and I came across a recurring theme. The people I may know haven’t aged in years. As a matter of fact some of them look better than when I first met them. “How can this be?” you ask. Well, I will tell you. It’s because their profile pictures were taken before I knew them.

I’m not talking about a picture that’s a year or two old. In a couple of cases, we are talking decades. In case you are wondering, my linkedin profile picture is from 2010 but that doesn’t count because I haven’t aged since then. Look for yourself:

Pretty much the same way I look today. As for that double chin, it’s an optical illusion. Always has been…always will be.

But I digress.  As for who some of the folks whose profile pictures could use updating, example numero uno is a cousin of a friend of mine. He’s probably in his early 60s and what’s left of his hair is completely grey. As for his profile picture, balding yes, grey…no way. I’ve know this guy for 15 years and his picture was taken way, way before I knew him.

Example dos is a woman I met at our tennis club many moons ago. She had a successful business career before taking up tennis full time. She’s probably 10 years older than me (which would make her at least 64) and her photo looks like she’s 10 years younger than me, which would make her 44.

But my favorite example is actually an ad I saw recently in a publication for a local real estate broker. First off lady, you shouldn’t be putting your picture in the paper to begin with. Secondly, you were using that same photo when I moved to New Jersey 23 years ago, and even than it was a few years old. It’s like those people who have too much plastic surgery. Do they think we can’t tell what they’ve done to their face when their lips are moving but the rest of their faces are completely starched? Does Mrs. Real Estate Lady circa think she’s fooling anyone with that picture from the last century? Let me tell you, you’re not fooling anyone…only yourself.

My opinion is people should stop denying their age. Aging is a fact of life. One of my favorite TV quotes comes the show Nip/Tuck. I’ve used it before and I will use it again. When the character played by Joely Richardson is asked by the 2 lead characters (who are plastic surgeons) if she’d like a few of her facial lines removed, she responds (and I’m paraphrasing a bit) “I like my wrinkles…they remind me of where I’ve been.” Good words for a common sense life.