expressions.
I keep returning to this. I’ve been fascinated by this since I first saw it, in an exam room at a dermatologist’s office.
At first glance, the before and after photos look fake. “She’s clearly making a different face!” I thought. Another ad where the answer is better lighting, makeup, and direction.
But then I read the fine print under the photos. Each photo shows the subject in what BOTOX refers to as “maximum frown.” The After photo shows the subject after 14 days of treatment.
She is trying to make the same face.
What is most astonishing to me is the implication that the subject appears more beautiful after the treatment. I would much rather know the Before subject. She looks younger to me, like a child no longer capable of blind faith, like a good friend who calls you out when you need it most.
She seems alien to me After. She’s colder, and the spark inside her is forever hidden from view.
It’s strange, but maybe I keep returning because I miss who she was before.
-gj