Image: Instagram/@Reesewitherspoon
The year is barely begun but we already have a meme to marvel over. That meme – the 10 Year Challenge.
If you’re not across it, it goes like this. You post a picture of yourself from a decade back and you splice it alongside an image of yourself today. Then, in theory, you marvel at the differences – hopefully, positive ones.
The meme spread like wildfire and suddenly, everyone was in on it – including celebrities. It was an enormous amount of fun – at least, it was when it was just us. We marvelled at how much we had changed, our hair colour, our style, our eyebrows – oh those eyebrows – but when the A-Listers started posting their snaps things started to get a little strange.
You see, they seemed to not be ageing at all. If anything, they were ageing in reverse, Benjamin Button style.
First there was Reese Witherspoon who at 42 looked EXACTLY like she did a decade ago. It was kind of suspicious if anything.
There were theories that Reese might have dabbled in subtle cosmetic tweaks such as injectables including fillers and muscle freezers, but who is to say for sure? Reese certainly isn’t telling. It’s possible she has incredibly lucky genes or an awesome skincare regime or maybe both? Our hunch – she’s got all three working to her advantage.
Jennifer Lopez got into the act by re-sharing a pic that was initially posted by a fan of hers. The image shows her heavily pregnant 10 years back. On the right hand side a shot of an older J-Lo displaying a killer figure in a seriously skimpy outfit. And hello – she looks younger too.
How are these women stopping the clock in this way? In J-Lo’s case hard work for one thing. Woman watches her diet and exercises like a pro.
She may also have a talented cosmetic doctor tucked away in her little black book.
Kate Beckinsale’s contribution is even more extraordinary. Why? Because there’s more than a decade between her before and after shot. Heck!
She has not changed at all however.
Kate posted the following caption next to the images.
“Ok ten year challenge. Major developments : 1) I am much happier now and 2) I no longer ask for “the autumn palette”’at cheap makeup counters . Also actually first pic is 2005 but I can’t be arsed looking for a similar one from 2009 so whatever I’m over it.”
Yes. There’s a 13 year difference there but you sure can’t pick it at all. Makeup? A tweak or two? Or perhaps high-tech photoshop techniques and a very flattering filter? Or maybe she looks like this? More power to her.
All in all it was kind of stunning to see how these women were not just stopping the clock but possibly even reversing it.
Did it make us feel good though? Not particularly. After all – the women who shared the images that blew our minds in such a dramatic fashion have access to the world’s best skincare regimes, cosmetic doctors, beauty therapists and more. They can work with trainers, nutritionists, pro makeup artists and celebrity stylists. The rest of us? Not so much.
This is part of the reason why we’re not such huge fans of this particular meme and also, why we love Jessica Simpson’s take on it.
Jessica is currently heavily pregnant with her third baby. Not surprisingly she’s bigger than she was a decade back.
Her feet and ankles are swollen beyond belief – and her hilarious 10 Year Challenge post shows them in all their puffy glory. And we love her for it.
This is what the 10 Year Challenge is meant to be all about – a celebration of a decade gone by, 10 years of experience and change and living and we want to see it with our own eyes. Thank you Jessica for letting us do that.
We’re calling it – you are the winner.
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