Lazy journalism, or sizzling copy – Botox with the Stars!

Today’s media has triumphantly and repetitively trumpeted the fact that forty-something “Dancing with the Stars” host Sonia Kruger has “admitted” to using Botox and having her teeth cosmetically enhanced. This is news? It makes me wonder what we’ve come to as a society, where a middle aged woman’s right to privacy is ignored in the interests of commercialism. Yes, if we believe what we read, Sonia “admitted” that she has attempted to maintain her youthful looks by having a little cosmetic work done, but what choice did she have but to smilingly make her “admission” when confronted by a reporter hungry for a story – any story – regardless of the sensitivities behind it? Anna Bligh, Queensland’s 48 year old Premier, suffered the same indignity when her Botox use was reported last year; Nicole Kidman has been attacked by the media and the public for her reliance on cosmetic enhancement;  even Paul Hogan was outed when it became apparent he’d undergone plastic surgery some years ago. These people and their colleagues of a similar age live in the public eye and compete for work daily against younger, fresher looking, equally talented people. Of course many of them are going to do whatever they can to make themselves as marketable as possible – it’s a commercial imperative for some; and a personal choice for others. Regardless of their reasons, my thoughts are that not only is it their own business, but that hunting down celebs to drag out from them comments stating the obvious is an indication of very lazy journalism. Would the content of today’s story have surprised or educated anyone? I think not. What do you think? Are exposés about celebs’ cosmetic enhancement sizzling news items – or just ho hum, more of the same, boring space fillers?