Hey, did J.K. Rowling have plastic surgery??? She looks like a supermodel now!

[tclouie]

....at least if this photo (http://www.cnn.com/2002/SHOWBIZ/books/09/19/rowling.court/), provided by a link in the "$77 million" thread, is any indication.

Looks like a nose job, some widening of the eyes, some foundation to get rid of the freckles.....at the very least.

The movies made Hermione prettier too.

Please, Jo, stop there. Remember how scary-looking Jacko got after too many operations.

I guess it's OK that Harry Potter's mommy is beautiful.

:)

[Michael Ellis]

Now I really want to give her my 'magic wand'.

[Violet]

She just has less stress because she doesn't worry about money any more!

[smiling bandit]

I think it may be just a good makeup job. Not that I know of such things.

[jayseebee]

I once worked on the King's Road and it was pretty clear that the women looked prettier than those where I lived in the East End (of London). I reckon lots of money = good haircut, facials, good make-up, less stress, more sleep = prettier. This observation led to a great plan for a state sponsored hairdressing academy and haircuts for everyone, free at the point of use and funded from general taxation. Coming to a manifesto near you soon.

[HomeSlice]

I had never seen her before.

[Fiver]

Without a "before" photo to compare with, I wouldn't make a guess at the OP. But she looks like the J.K. Rowling I've always seen in photos. I've always found her attractive. I'd point my Whomping Willow her direction...

[tclouie]

No, really, the proportions of her face look different.

Her face can be found on the cover of several "opportunistic" books that always seem to surface around a literary hit: unauthorized biographies, books analyzing Harry Potter, etc. As well as magazines, news stories, documentaries.

What is it about the Brits that every thread subject seems to turn into an excuse for a dig at welfare-state socialism?

I guess it's the fact that Rowling's own life shows how a welfare program can "succeed" that brings out the ire of the Conservatives.

A former welfare mother is now rich, beautiful, and a credit to her country! Take that, John Major!

:p

[tclouie]

Originally posted by Fiver
Without a "before" photo to compare with, I wouldn't make a guess at the OP.

Compare the OP link to these pictures (http://www.bjerkefamily.com/hprealm/mn_author_picturegallery04.html). Very different.

And she's my age!!!!!!

:p

[Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor]

Originally posted by Violet
She just has less stress because she doesn't worry about money any more!

HO HO HO, my little shrinking Violet, come sit on lecherous Unca Bosda's knee, & let me explain the facts of life!

The more you have, the more you need to worry about it. Rich people scheme day & night to keep what they have, & gain more.

[Morgainelf]

Here are some "before" pics.

http://www.geocities.com/hpmaniacs/jkr-photo

I think it's just good makeup and hair. Possibly some botox, too.

[Agrippina]

Originally posted by Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor
The more you have, the more you need to worry about it. Rich people scheme day & night to keep what they have, & gain more.

Plus, I would think they had to worry about phonies; people pretending to be their friends just because they have money.

[jayseebee]

Originally posted by tclouie
What is it about the Brits that every thread subject seems to turn into an excuse for a dig at welfare-state socialism?

I guess it's the fact that Rowling's own life shows how a welfare program can "succeed" that brings out the ire of the Conservatives.

A former welfare mother is now rich, beautiful, and a credit to her country! Take that, John Major!Ummm... was this aimed at me?

[ElvisL1ves]

Maybe she's now one of the few Britons who can get orthodontia work?

Oops, sorry.

[Fiver]

tclouie:Compare the OP link to these pictures (http://www.bjerkefamily.com/hprealm/mn_author_picturegallery04.html). Very different.

Okay, I get what you're observing, but I don't see any improvements that couldn't be explained by expert makeup and careful lighting.

Also, in the OP photo she's in profile, which usually tends to enhance one's appearance, for some reason.

[tclouie]

Originally posted by jayseebee
Ummm... was this aimed at me?

Yes.

[tclouie]

Originally posted by Fiver
tclouie:

Okay, I get what you're observing, but I don't see any improvements that couldn't be explained by expert makeup and careful lighting.

Also, in the OP photo she's in profile, which usually tends to enhance one's appearance, for some reason.

Come on, her nose is shorter and she has fewer facial lines. The true test is, I would not have known it was Rowling if it weren't for the caption.

Come to think of it, maybe it isn't Rowling. Maybe they accidentally substituted a picture of a BBC news announcer.

The OP's question has been answered!!!!

[Larry Mudd]

I don't think she's had any cosmetic surgery. She's always been an attractive woman -- now she looks healthier and more elaborately groomed. Which you'd sort of expect.

[Edwardina]

A better diet, more sleep, a good mattress, a good exercise program . . . these things could all make quite a difference without her having gone under the knife. That stated, I do think the shape of the nose looks a bit different. She may have had the bridge smoothed. The picture in the OP has slightly fuzzy definition, though. It very well could just be makeup and lighting.

Still, if I came into $77 million, you can be sure I'd work on having a few of the rough edges smoothed out . . . so I wouldn't blame her one bit if she has.

[Michael Ellis]

Originally posted by Edwardina
a good mattress, a good exercise program

*Insert double entendre here*

[pesch]

**heh heh heh, you said insert**

Seriously, note also that the shorter hairstyle and new glasses changes her look. She may have had better facial care, but I doubt much more than that.

[susan]

She's pregnant at the moment. Don't know how recent the photo from the link was.

[Edwardina]

Originally posted by Shoshana
She's pregnant at the moment.

Ooooh! Does this mean she'll have to start a new series for the new kid???

[Robot Arm]

I don't think she'll need to start a new series, it would just be easier to continue the current series beyond the school years. Eventually we could have:

Harry Potter and the Kidney Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Commerce
Harry Potter and the Pensioner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Metamucil

[a35362]

So does she really have red hair or blonde hair or what?

[jayseebee]

Originally posted by tclouie
Yes. Okay... but I don't get it. I was just trying to point out in a light hearted way the effect that poverty can have on people, of which appearance is probably the least important. IIRC being born six stops east on the Jubilee Line takes six years off a baby's life expectancy.

I'd love to give Tony Blair the credit for Harry Potter (really). I'm not sure when it was published but I doubt it was long enough after the launch of the Working Families Tax Credit in October 1999 or really after May 1997 for us to draw a link between the two... sorry.

[toadspittle]

I would also vote for makeup and lighting, along with a little weight loss. That can tighten up the face a great deal.