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Subscribe to RSSActress Ashley Judd denies plastic surgery rumors following criticism about her "puffy" face, says she was taking steroids for sinus infection.
In an exclusive interview airing tonight on “Nightly News,” actress Ashley Judd addresses recent criticism about her appearance, saying the negative comments about her "puffy face" were spurred by society’s objectification of girls and women.
In March, while Judd was promoting her new TV series, gossip magazines said Judd’s face looked fuller – and the rumors started swirling. One of Judd’s representatives told media outlets she had been battling an ongoing sinus infection and taking medication, but that didn’t stop people from speculating that she had had plastic surgery.
Judd addressed the rumors this week in an opinion article that appeared in The Daily Beast, writing that her appearance was due to taking steroids for a sinus infection.
“When I am sick for more than a month and on medication (multiple rounds of steroids), the accusation is that because my face looks puffy, I have ‘clearly had work done,’ with otherwise credible reporters with great bravo ‘identifying’ precisely the procedures I allegedly have had done,” she wrote.
This evening on “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams,” Judd -– who is currently starring in ABC’s new show “Missing” -- reflects on the criticism she’s endured throughout her prolific career.
“I think it’s hatred of women that invites the criticism. I think it’s the objectification of girls and women and this hypersexualization of our society that invites the criticism. It doesn’t have anything to do with me, really, and how I look,” she told NBC News.
Judd said after she took the steroids for her infection and appeared in public, “there was no presumption of goodwill.”
“The conversation went straight to, ‘Oh my gosh.’ And then I started to catch the double bind where, you know, my face looks puffy, 'She's had work,' you know? And then, look at the same image in a different interpretation by a separate set of people is, 'Oh, come on, she doesn't even have any wrinkles at all, she's clearly had work,'” Judd said. “So I look bad, I've had work. I look too good, I've had work.”
Watch the full interview tonight on "Nightly News."
Leave a Comment:
She should get real. NO ONE that age has NO WRINKLES. She needs to stop lying and get over herself.
Steve, enough of the flaming. Don't be mad cause she can wear a dress and you can't lol. BTW - she's 44 not 64.
The folks in my family don't get wrinkles until they're close to 60 (I'm 36 and I have none, and she's less than a decade older). In any case, she may or may not be lying, but a) who cares, b) what's with the vicious nastiness directed at her, and c) steroids do exactly what she said they do. I had to be on them for a while and I blew right up, too.
And she's right when she says it's discriminatory against women to harp on it. Guys can look ugly, heavy, have work done or not, and no one makes nasty comments like they do about women if their looks change at all.
It's not cool to have double standards, and people should look at their own behavior and stop saying nasty things about people's looks. Didn't their parents teach them better manners than that?
Steven, if your face becomes puffy (especially if it is very recent), it will have far less wrinkles that before. Have you ever noticed when someone loses a lot of weight that their skin gets quite wrinkly? I would certainly not want to be under the microscope that some people are under… and the reason that so many people turn to plastic surgery is because people are constantly criticizing them and others. We all need to step back and quit being so critical of each other.
Not that it matters, but is everyone blind, she has wrinkes-- around her eyes, and smile lines. I am 38, and I have less than she does, which makes sense to me because she is 44. Not everyone has to be a mammoth wrinkle bag. I wear sunscreen everyday, even in the winter. Of course genetics and eating right helps. Of course it would be impossible to have NO wrinkles, but she HAS wrinkles.
I'm 45 and I have no wrinkles, even when I smile there are none. It is a gift from my mother and father family. I have never shaved my legs as I have no hair on my legs, another gift from my mother, sometimes good skin is hereditary.
Technically, I'm old enough to be Ms. Judd's mother and I am just starting to get wrinkles.
I guess Steve just hangs out with women who smoke, drink to excess, eat crappy food, and generally don't bother living healthy lifestyles.
Did any of you read the story or listen to her rebuttal? She had to go on steroids to help fight a sinus infection (I had to have the same done). Her point was that it is unfair to be made a target by small minded people and tabloid "journalists" just because she is a success and your not.
If everyone bullied as she has been would strike back perhaps there would be less of it.
You are wrong. I'm the same age as Ms. Judd and don't have wrinkles either and have never had any plastic surgery or injections etc. Some people really do just have good genes and clean healthy living. I've also experienced the puffy face syndrome from prescribed medication from my doctor when I was sick, so I know from first hand experience what that's like. Uninformed people love to point the finger. I also think many people have strange ideas that all celebs that look good are plastic and that's just not always true.
Genune1 "I also think many people have strange ideas that all celebs that look good are plastic and that's just not always true."
Perhaps they should be issued Barbie dolls and told to stare at them and STFU!
The reality is that to get paid obscene amounts of money to get in front of the camera often has to do with an actor's looks. I love it when a naive actor (or a naive appearing actor) protests the fact that their existence cannot be based on something so shallow as their looks. Well, surprise - now you know. Take the money while you can and stopped pretending to be nonplussed about the whole thing.
Uh, I imagine she thinks her success is based on her ability to, well, ACT, and not her looks. She has never tried playing on her physical appearance. If you think that's all she's good for, you are a part of the problem.
Bid Dawg, one's ability to act IS independent of one's physical appearance. The shallow emphasis on looks (rather than artistic integrity) as the focus in the entertainment industry is a socially constructed one that cheapens the intrinsic value of the actor's work. Positions like the one you have taken are the crux of the problem, and that's one of the points she's making.
Big Dawg's comment is a great example of what Judd's point is about being criticized for a puffy face. A person's value is determined by his/her physical appearance (more so for women than men but both are victim to it) and we all buy into that when we shouldn't. Then we make a big deal out of it if somebody "had work done" trying to meet our expectations. Any actual talent seems to be presented as secondary at best. We are a vain and vapid society and seem to become more so every decade. When America's children are taught that what they look like is the thing that is the most crucial to their success then what does one think they will focus on to gain confidence, worry about the most, and spend the most money and the most time working on? I'll give you a clue, it's not intelligence, kindness, respect for themselves and others, social responsibility or a sense of community.
She's a beautiful person, and who cares if she had work?
She isn't lying. Cortisone does make your face puffy. Google it. Regardless, she is right on about the objectification of women.
As someone who has taken corticosteroids, a puffy or moon face is one of the side effects. This is especially true if you take them for a long period of time - I consider a month or more to be a long time. Who cares, anyway. Many actresses (and actors) have Botox or plastic surgery. If you make a living in front of a camera, this is not unusual.
BTW, I am in my 60s and have few wrinkles...at least, on my face. ;o)
Well, with the wonders that makeup and lighting can do today, I'm sure it is quite easy to cover up any wrinkles she may have. Way back when I was younger, I remember her mother was quite famous for looking so young. Honestly, it looks as if she has been on a steroid medication, possibly prednisone? Some doctors do prescribe steroids for people who have chronic allergy and sinus issues. (i.e. FloNase, Nasonex, Medrol) When I was on prednisone after being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, my face became quite puffy after some time of being on it. If she did have plastic surgery and is lying about it, who cares?
this is news? some ditz gets some filler in her face and she is on the nightly news because of it? seriously nbc stick to what you excel at: editing 911 tapes.
Ditz? really? and do you know what happened? nah, you'll just make stuff up. Feel free at any time in the near future to get a clue and stop the hate. sheesh
This "ditz" you are talking about not only has a successful acting career, but is also well known for her humanitarian work on AIDS education, empowerment programs for impoverished youth and exposure of (and fighting for) issues in the Congo. She's a regular panelist on world health issues sponsored by the Global Business Coalition to stop HIV, TB, and Malaria.
Oh, wait...there's more.
She has an undergraduate degree from the University of Kentucky and an MA from Harvard where she also won a Dean's Scholar Award for her work on Law, Social Justice and Gender Violence.
Your comment has done nothing to further this conversation, except for the fact that you've proved her point for her.
Considering that Ms. Judd has used her beautiful face to sell cosmetics for Kohl's, it seems disingenuous to complain that the attention she is now receiving is part of the objectification of women. If I'm supposed to buy the cosmetics, in the (mistaken, but implied) belief that they'll make me look like her, then she is willingly opening herself to that very objectification.
So a woman who is obsessed with staying young and beautiful labels the rest of society as hateful of women. Do these leftists ever see or smell their own hypocrisy?
Thats like the head of the Black Panthers talking against racism and bigotry.
Do you right wingers ever get tired of being ignorant to the feelings of others? And you're ridiculous argument of comparing the Black Panthers is, well not overly bright.
The Black Panthers EXIST because of racism and bigotry, so in actuality choosing that analogy just highlights your own ignorance. There's is simply a less peaceful response to the way life used to be in America for minorities. Not everyone was willing to march for equality, some wanted to fight for it.
Wow, slow news week? Who the heck cares if she had work done or not.
Well you were INTERESTED ENOUGH TO READ THE ARTICLE!!! Sorry but your statement is hilarious!
She looked terrible in her new show. Blame her, the director, the producer....blame anyone for letting her be filmed while looking at that.
Looks matter honey. What do you think models get paid for? Why do actresses get their roles? Anyone getting cast because she graduated from Yale? No. Pretty face, speak the lines...appear on screen- go home.
Athletes get paid to catch passes, run, throw...actresses and models get paid to look good. Everyone cowers when any of these people speak lines that have not been written for them. Half of their appearances on Leno and Letterman are absolute train wrecks. Many can't speak without prepared lines and 3 takes.
Looks don't matter -- there is nothing intrinsically valuable about them. People like pretty things, so they assign value to them. This is a reflection on how shallow and inconsequential people can be.
Not that it matters to you, but she has been ill for months. Further, her role required her to look exhausted - as any mother who was desperately trying to find her son would be. And if you actually read her essay, she is the first to admit that she expects some critique given the nature of her career.
Her essay was an amazing piece not because it called out the patriarchal system, but because indicted the media for their poor excuse for journalism in today's society.
PH: please post a link to her essay. I haven't read it, but would love to. She is smart and gorgeous. Thanks.
Jealousy and hate are an extremely ugly things.
Its a great read! They dont allow links here but go to her blog at ashleyjudd dot com slash blog!
So what? Puffy face or not, she's still beautiful, talented, and CLASSY, unlike other celebrities.
Ashley, I wouldn't even worry about responding to the comments made. We know someone is just trying to get their 15 mintues.
the world is going insane and people worry about this???? Gad...give it a rest. She is a good looking woman and how pathetic the media makes a big deal of this...get a life...really...get a life.
One look at her permanent "scared deer in the headlights" look and yes she had plastic surgery.
If she did then it's not the best plastic surgery money can buy. When the swelling goes down will that enhance her look?
This is a reply for "Beth Boyle"....Ashly Judd my or may not have ever had plastic surgery done however, you need both hands cut off so you can no longer type stupid comments on sites like this. It would make such an improved in YOUR apperance...........
Those of you calling Ms. Judd a "ditz" and "naive" must have been the schoolyard bullies we all knew in grade school. Ms. Judd is neither a "ditz", nor is she "naive". She is an extremely talented, hard-working actor...and she is a wonderful humanitarian and advocate for girls and women all over the world. You need to read her bio AND her book to get to know her better. She's not some vapid, twenty-something, looks-obsessed actress who shows up, reads her lines, and goes shopping afterwards. In her 44 years, she has overcome life-altering obstacles and accomplished more than many people do in an entire lifetime. All that AND easy on the eyes.
Hatred of women? That's quite a leap. Let's not start this again. She should do the research and find out if there are just as many women commenting on her looks as men. And before we blame THAT on men, let's just admit that physical looks is more a part of female attractiveness than for men, and blame it on evolution, not men.
Actually, if you read the blog in question you would know that she does blame women in her blog quite clearly. A passage:
That women are joining in the ongoing disassembling of my appearance is salient. Patriarchy is not men. Patriarchy is a system in which both women and men participate. It privileges, inter alia, the interests of boys and men over the bodily integrity, autonomy, and dignity of girls and women. It is subtle, insidious, and never more dangerous than when women passionately deny that they themselves are engaging in it. This abnormal obsession with women’s faces and bodies has become so normal that we (I include myself at times – I absolutely fall for it still) have internalized patriarchy almost seamlessly. We are unable at times to indentify ourselves as our own denigrating abusers, or as abusing other girls and women.
MaxPower, defensive much? Looks like *you* have made the leap here. As PH mentioned, Ashley Judd discusses this rather finely in said blog. Maybe *you* should "do the research" before making your knee-jerk reaction readily apparent.
The medical facts of chronic steroid use are easily checked and facial swelling and weight gain are right there at the top of the list. That said, puffy or not she is one fine looking women and a credit to her gender and proffession. 50 year old gay man who would definetly stop, turn and look if she past me buy on the street.
Damn, mispelled by.lol
And she's still fine.
Her new show mustn't be doing too well. I think Ashley has a point, but maybe she should've spoken up when The Kardashians and other "celeb" women subjectify THEMSELVES. It's all about the T & A, then the "talent".
But Ashley isn't the Kardashians - and she doesn't go around promoting her sexuality or sexual appearance. She is a 43 year old woman who was promoting a real show, in between her very real humanitarian efforts I might add, and still caught the same flack about a puffy face brought on by medical treatment for an illness.
Not every woman in show business is trying to subjectify themselves. And even so, the gross obsession with her appearance and the "damned if she does, damned if she doesn't" commentary is a reflection of our most unfortunate tabloid media society.
If she'd had plastic surgery and was left with a puffy steroid looking face she should sue. While she's thin she could just age with a puffy face. Judd is about objectifying women. Can't she just age like everyone eles, puffy face and all?
A woman has to look good up to death. We're expected to get a boobs lifted, noses done, hair colored and long, stay teenager thin, get the fat sucked out their butts and stomach. A man, on the other hand, can gain weight, go bald, have his scrotum swell and hang to his knees, and still be considered a catch. I wonder when researchers will come out with scrotum lift. Perhaps a couple could get a breast lift and scrotum lift for a discount rate.
Hehehe....Hey, Unit Price Flying in Seattle! I LMAO @ your comment!!! Thanks. I only wish I could "click" it into reality........and also that they find a way for men to give birth!
Personally I think she should have just said, "So my face looks a little different. Who cares?" The fact that she is feeling the need to defend herself, whether the change is from medicine, injections, surgery, or plain old weight gain, is just adding fuel to the fire. Not to mention the fact that she is a Hollywood actress. She gets paid lots of money for people to LOOk at her. If she didn't want people to notice her and comment about her looks, she chose the wrong profession.
If you read her essay, and you knew about her real life's work which is to advocate for women and children, then you would understand why she felt compelled to respond.
I believe that she is trying to make a statement, one that everyone needs to hear. That it's not right at all to be rude and put down, no matter who you are or if you're in the spotlight or not. Women or even men should not be ridiculed because of their looks. We need to stand up for our rights and what we believe.
I want to thank Ms. Judd for her comments regarding the way Hollywood has indoctrinated everyone in America as well as the world into the idea that "everyone has had work done". Although they couldn't say that about me, the cattiness of these last few generations has gotten out of control with the all the inuendo about celebs and the way they look. First of all, it is nobody's business except the person's, and I don't care who you are. Secondly, we need to look at ourselves first before deprecating someone else for they do or do not do to themselves. Each of us needs to take a good look in the mirror before we start panning someone else. Thank you again for your candidate and much-needed words, Ashley. I respect you very much for standing up for yourself and, in doing so, others who have been treated thusly. :)
She used this same objectification argument some years ago. Shortly after, she appeared topless with only her hands covering her breasts on a magazine. After that, I don't really pay much attention to what she says.