# Man... Linda Hamilton's looking a bit rough for 52! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 25, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119 "2008-09-25T04:15:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/1 "2008-09-25T04:15:56Z")
[Wow!](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tmz.com/media/2008/09/0924_linda_hamilton_reveal.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/2 "2008-09-25T05:32:21Z")
:eek: ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/3 "2008-09-25T05:46:18Z")
She looks like a 52 year old woman who has spent a lifetime being fit and sinewy and tanned, has had no “work done”, and currently has a facial expression that is exaggeratedly emphasising her wrinkles. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/4 "2008-09-25T06:19:07Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > She looks like a 52 year old woman who has spent a lifetime being fit and sinewy and tanned, has had no “work done”, and currently has a facial expression that is exaggeratedly emphasising her wrinkles. What I was gonna say. This kind of misogyny is exactly why it’s so hard for women to find decent roles in Hollywood movies. After a narrow window of maximum doability, the audience demands either plastic surgery or seclusion. Major props to Hamilton for NOT getting plastic surgery: it never makes you look younger, it only makes you look like an old lady who can afford plastic surgery. I recently watched Season Four of _The Shield_. Glenn Close is an adequate actor, but she’s playing a tough-broad police captain . . . with plastic surgery scars? Wrong. Linda Hamilton is probably not the actor that Close is, but she’d’ve been more convincing as a career cop than Close was. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/5 "2008-09-25T07:09:37Z")
She looks quite decent for 52. I’m in my mid-thirties, & have some lines in my face to do that with. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/6 "2008-09-25T07:21:05Z")
She looks like she has a personality. Not like shes peering out from a mask that looks like everyone elses corrective face. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/7 "2008-09-25T07:27:10Z")
I find it refreshing to see a Hollywood actress anymore who is willing to age naturally instead of getting a bunch of grotesque plastic surgery and botox injections. Have you seen Cher lately? Eep. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/8 "2008-09-25T10:20:03Z")
Met Linda Hamilton during the heyday of Terminator…quite a wild story, but suffice it to say, she is really a wonderful, kind woman and we were all happy she divorced that jerk director of Titanic. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/9 "2008-09-25T10:24:24Z")
I’ll be very happy if I look that good when I’m 52. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/10 "2008-09-25T10:34:56Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > What I was gonna say. This kind of misogyny is exactly why it’s so hard for women to find decent roles in Hollywood movies. After a narrow window of maximum doability, the audience demands either plastic surgery or seclusion. > > Major props to Hamilton for NOT getting plastic surgery: it never makes you look younger, it only makes you look like an old lady who can afford plastic surgery. I recently watched Season Four of _The Shield_. Glenn Close is an adequate actor, but she’s playing a tough-broad police captain . . . with plastic surgery scars? Wrong. Linda Hamilton is probably not the actor that Close is, but she’d’ve been more convincing as a career cop than Close was. Let’s not go overboard here. Yes, it’d be great if we expanded our notion of what attractive women look like. Yes, we should embrace the normal aging process. But that’s \*not \*normal aging - that’s a shitload of sundamaged overaged skin brought on by her tanning choices as a younger actor - when she was perfectly willing to damage her body to meet the aesthetic appeal of her day. Add in her longtime smoking habit, and she set herself up. This is NOT what 52 is supposed to look like, folks. Sure, Cher isn’t either, but both ends of the spectrum are to be lamented when brought on by dangerous hobbies. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/11 "2008-09-25T10:37:07Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Let’s not go overboard here. Yes, it’d be great if we expanded our notion of what attractive women look like. Yes, we should embrace the normal aging process. But that’s \*not \*normal aging - that’s a shitload of sundamaged overaged skin brought on by her tanning choices as a younger actor - when she was perfectly willing to damage her body to meet the aesthetic appeal of her day. Add in her longtime smoking habit, and she set herself up. > > This is NOT what 52 is supposed to look like, folks. Sure, Cher isn’t either, but both ends of the spectrum are to be lamented when brought on by dangerous hobbies. I think it was the Anti Depressants and the Steroids. ---
**Author:** ![Atomicflea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/58956e/32.png) [@Atomicflea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomicflea)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/12 "2008-09-25T10:40:17Z")
Much respect to Linda Hamilton, who is an [attractive woman](http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Profiles/20061005/244.hamilton.linda.100506.jpg) who was photographed sans makeup and obviously not making the most flattering face. I don’t know who would look their best in that situation. Still, She’s not on a par with Angela Basset, whose face strangely never ages, but certainly Helen Mirren. As for her aging “hard”, she’s a woman who suffers from bipolar disorder who self-medicated for years with drugs and alcohol, by her own admission. I’m sure it must take its toll, but she’s actually held up really well. Her body still rocks, and she rates pretty high on [askmen](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.askmen.com/women/actress_150/188_linda_hamiltonlarge_image-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://uk.askmen.com/celebs/women/actress_150/188_linda_hamilton.html&h=490&w=376&sz=55&hl=en&start=50&um=1&usg=__wGKcNx0dXgyR1khHgbfAvzzYqO4=&tbnid=VnTbqEJ461sl_M:&tbnh=130&tbnw=100&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlinda%2Bhamilton%2B2008%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN). ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/13 "2008-09-25T10:45:48Z")
Oh yeah, it couldn’t possibly be from medically approved pharmaceuticals…:rolleyes: Must have been all those bad choices she made. ---
**Author:** ![Jolly\_Roger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/91b2a8/32.png) [@Jolly\_Roger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jolly_Roger)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/14 "2008-09-25T10:46:53Z")
> [@Atomicflea](#): > > Much respect to Linda Hamilton, who is an [attractive woman](http://images.eonline.com/eol_images/Profiles/20061005/244.hamilton.linda.100506.jpg) who was photographed sans makeup and obviously not making the most flattering face. I don’t know who would look their best in that situation. Still, She’s not on a par with Angela Basset, whose face strangely never ages, but certainly Helen Mirren. > > As for her aging “hard”, she’s a woman who suffers from bipolar disorder who self-medicated for years with drugs and alcohol, by her own admission. I’m sure it must take its toll, but she’s actually held up really well. Her body still rocks, and she rates pretty high on [askmen](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.askmen.com/women/actress_150/188_linda_hamiltonlarge_image-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://uk.askmen.com/celebs/women/actress_150/188_linda_hamilton.html&h=490&w=376&sz=55&hl=en&start=50&um=1&usg=__wGKcNx0dXgyR1khHgbfAvzzYqO4=&tbnid=VnTbqEJ461sl_M:&tbnh=130&tbnw=100&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlinda%2Bhamilton%2B2008%26start%3D40%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN). Well, people age and even the most attractive 20 to 30 somethings may not look as hot when they hit their 50’s. I will admit though as a teenager I thought Linda Hamilton was smokin’ hot in _ **The Terminator** _…especially the love scene. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/15 "2008-09-25T10:49:53Z")
> [@devilsknew](#): > > Oh yeah, it couldn’t possibly be from medically approved pharmaceuticals…:rolleyes: > > Must have been all those bad choices she made. Can I have a cite for known skin damage caused by medically approved pharmaceuticals that causes more damage than sun and smoking? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/16 "2008-09-25T10:58:17Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > But that’s \*not \*normal aging - that’s a shitload of sundamaged overaged skin brought on by her tanning choices as a younger actor But it’s not _abnormal_ aging. And it’s not necessarily even a bad thing. Everybody’s different, and there’s no point in being disappointed in or insulting towards her just because she got a bit wrinkly a little prematurely than some people (and not as prematurely as other people). If you held her up against a group of ordinary average 52 year old women, I don’t think there’d be anything to be upset at her over, but much to admire her for. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/17 "2008-09-25T11:08:06Z")
There are studies…but I can’t link or quote a cite. Linda is just old enough to start having some observational data on the effect of long term use of modern SSRI anti-depressants. They have been around for a relatively short time… The steroid use is presumptive of me, but certain kinds of steroids can have oxidative effects, especially in combination with factor x. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/18 "2008-09-25T11:10:41Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > But it’s not _abnormal_ aging. I think it is. There’s significant elastin loss there, even accounting for the expression, in a women who is, statistically speaking, perimenopausal at best. That’s not normal. IANADermatologist, of course, but I’ve seen a lot of 52 year old women without makeup, and the only ones with that level of skin damage were sun worshippers and smokers. If we can get a dermatologist in here to claim that’s normal aging, I’ll back off, but until then I’m using that picture to show my kids why they need to wear sunscreen and never take up smoking. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/19 "2008-09-25T11:29:30Z")
Unflattering, unretouched picture of a woman in her 50’s. I had to laugh when I saw a cover of Diane Lane this week. She is a beautiful woman, but she’s in her 40’s and has crows feet, etc. BFD. She’d been airbrushed so that her skin looked flawless. How ridiculous that we can have a woman be a serious contender for President, yet magazine editors still feel the need to airbrush perfectly beautiful women. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2008, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119/20 "2008-09-25T11:39:25Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > I think it is. There’s significant elastin loss there, even accounting for the expression, in a women who is, statistically speaking, perimenopausal at best. Smoking + sun + no body fat (esp. after rapid weight loss) = sagging skin. Most women her age sunbathed all the time. They’re the Farrah Fawcett generation. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-linda-hamiltons-looking-a-bit-rough-for-52/465119.md?page=2)