The Changing Face of Beauty

Directed and Produced by Rory Kennedy & Liz Garbus
Co-Produced by Gini Reticker

Hosted and Narrated by Sela Ward
Premiered on Lifetime Television in March, 2000

Hosted by Sela Ward, THE CHANGING FACE OF BEAUTY is an incisive look at our culture's notions of beauty and the impact these images have on women of all ages. The program also explores emerging images of beauty based on "real" women. As women, we are fed with images from the media about what beauty is. Some of us comfortably take these notions in stride, picking and choosing what works best for us. Others go to great lengths to conform to what are sometimes impossible ideals. Our program does not condemn or support individual women's choices, but rather seeks to build awareness about what underlies women's attitudes towards beauty and aging. The documentary depicts the myriad ways women in their teens, 20s, 30s, and upward deal with growing older, and ultimately espouses an empowering message for all women. We take a look at new trends that promote a less rigid attitude towards beauty, and celebrate women whom in life and in work are helping to move the needle towards a more age-inclusive understanding of beauty. We interweave interviews with renowned experts Nancy Etcoff (Survival of the Prettiest), Faye Wattleton (Director, Center for Gender Equality), Sarah Miller (30 year old sex columnist for Cosmopolitan), Dr. Margery Legato (Director, Department of Women's Health, Columbia University, Psychiatrist) and advertising exec Ed Evangelista, (the creative director behind Elizabeth Arden's new "Embrace Yourself" advertising campaign using real women of various ethnic groups and ages) with verite scenes, montages and archival footage.

- This film has been made in collaboration with Lifetime Television