# What Michael Jackson might have looked like. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 28, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569 "2008-08-28T16:20:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![R.P.McMurphy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7993a0/32.png) [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/1 "2008-08-28T16:20:48Z")
This is sad and creepy on several levels: [Michael Jackson w/o the surgery.](http://gawker.com/5043017/what-a-plastic-surgery+free-michael-jackson-might-look-like) IMHO something went terribly wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/2 "2008-08-28T16:22:05Z")
Understatement. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/3 "2008-08-28T16:57:33Z")
This is one of many reasons why I would never entertain getting any kind of plastic surgery. Hell, I refuse to even entertain dying my hair. You are who you are, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with growing old people. ---
**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:** [August 28, 2008, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/4 "2008-08-28T17:07:02Z")
Wow, that looks so normal and un-creepy. He doesn’t look like a sex symbol anymore, but he hasn’t been that for 20 years anyway. His life could have been so different. He could have aged gracefully and with respect instead of becoming a perpetual punchline. ---
**Author:** ![Jules\_Andre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jules_andre/32/9334_2.png) [@Jules\_Andre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jules_Andre)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/5 "2008-08-28T17:11:12Z")
[QUOTE=Leaffan] You are who you are, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with growing old people. [/QUOTE] Like, in a Petri dish? Or do you plant their bones in the garden out back? I imagine the flowers would smell something awful. Aside from that though, with the backlash against animal cloning, I think you’d have a hard time getting support for growing them. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/6 "2008-08-28T17:13:54Z")
[QUOTE=Jules Andre] Like, in a Petri dish? Or do you plant their bones in the garden out back? I imagine the flowers would smell something awful. Aside from that though, with the backlash against animal cloning, I think you’d have a hard time getting support for growing them. [/QUOTE] Damned missing comma! :smack: ---
**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:** [August 28, 2008, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/7 "2008-08-28T17:13:55Z")
[QUOTE=Jules Andre] Like, in a Petri dish? Or do you plant their bones in the garden out back? I imagine the flowers would smell something awful. Aside from that though, with the backlash against animal cloning, I think you’d have a hard time getting support for growing them. [/QUOTE] There are shops that specialize in selling the equipment, but you have to pretend you’re talking about “tomatoes.” ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/8 "2008-08-28T17:20:31Z")
I think this will do better in Cafe Society, so I’m moving it over there. I can’t remember all the details of the debates we’ve had about Jackson’s skin, but as I recall, it’s entirely reasonable to believe he really has vitiligo. After many years of having that condition, he “should” only look like the man in the picture while he’s wearing makeup. Which he would do if he’s going out in public, but it’s worth considering that in reality, the skin on his face would probably be patchy or mostly white or pink, particularly around his eyes and mouth. ---
**Author:** ![thwartme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@thwartme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thwartme)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/9 "2008-08-28T17:43:53Z")
If he doesn’t have a real skin disease, he still could have looked fine even after a nose job, a face lift and some (I think) cheekbone implants. See [Jermaine.](http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news?id=27346) thwartme ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/10 "2008-08-28T17:54:07Z")
I think age progression is hardly an exact science. Here’s someone’s earlier attempt: [http://forartist.com/forensic/modification/mj/jackson.htm](http://forartist.com/forensic/modification/mj/jackson.htm) Here’s the original article the new pictures accompanied: > **[As he turns 50, is this what Michael Jackson should really look like?](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1050082/As-turns-50-Michael-Jackson-really-look-like.html)** > > Crippled by arthritis that has left him in a wheelchair. Regretting the > plastic surgery that's made him 'white'. As Michael Jackson turns 50, is this what he should really look like? Despite the headline, it’s about more than plastic surgery, and rather sad. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/11 "2008-08-28T18:45:27Z")
I seem to recall that some years back, he kept denying he ever had any work done. Is this still the case? And I have no trouble believing he has vitiligo, but how come he decided to go the _other_ direction and make the rest of his skin whiter, instead of doing what (I thought) most blacks with that condition do, which is take medication and get UV exposure to darken the light areas? Maybe I just don’t understand vitiligo. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/12 "2008-08-28T19:17:11Z")
I’m sorry, but I was too distracted by that page’s thumbnail of [this photo of Helen Mirren](http://gawker.com/5025837/queen-elizabeth-looks-fantastic-in-her-swimsuit) to notice Mr. Jackson. Now there’s a fine example of someone who _didn’t_ go the plastic-surgery route! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/13 "2008-08-28T19:41:23Z")
I know I’m in the minority, but I feel so sorry for him. He’s just such a tragic train wreck. I realize some of his shit was brought on himself, but he seems so emotionally stunted and fragile. He seems truly disconnected from the real world on a mental/intellectual level. It’s almost like he was a machine that shorted out or something. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/14 "2008-08-28T20:25:22Z")
What, he had plastic surgery. I did not know that. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/15 "2008-08-28T22:18:19Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] What, he had plastic surgery. I did not know that. [/QUOTE] \ ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/16 "2008-08-28T23:41:37Z")
My SIL has vitiligo, but it’s only on her hands and feet, in patches. Does MJ have a more severe condition of it? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2008, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/17 "2008-08-28T23:48:34Z")
Some Mental Floss website commentators think he STILL looks like a child molester in that speculative picture. Not sure whether I agree or not, but it IS kinda funny. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/18 "2008-08-29T00:13:00Z")
For what it’s worth, here’s an [article](http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/Story?id=4847969&page=1) about the Jackson family, which shows what his brothers Jermain, Jackie, Randy, Marlon, and Tito look like now. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2008, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/19 "2008-08-29T00:13:34Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] I seem to recall that some years back, he kept denying he ever had any work done. Is this still the case? [/QUOTE] In the Bashir documentary, he said he only had TWO nose-jobs, and those were to help him breath better, to hit the high notes. If he can breath out of THAT, then I’m Marie of Roumania. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Monstera\_deliciosa](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monstera_deliciosa/32/109_2.png) [@Monstera\_deliciosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monstera_deliciosa)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569/20 "2008-08-29T01:01:40Z")
[QUOTE=TWDuke] I think age progression is hardly an exact science. Here’s someone’s earlier attempt: > **[Michael Jackson Aging](http://forartist.com/forensic/modification/mj/jackson.htm)** Here’s the original article the new pictures accompanied: e class="onebox allowlistedgeneric" data-onebox-src="https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-1050082/As-turns-50-Michael-Jackson-really-look-like.html"\> ![](https://www.dailymail.com/favicon.ico?v=2)[Mail Online](https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-1050082/As-turns-50-Michael-Jackson-really-look-like.html) ### [As he turns 50, is this what Michael Jackson should really look like?](https://www.dailymail.com/tvshowbiz/article-1050082/As-turns-50-Michael-Jackson-really-look-like.html) Crippled by arthritis that has left him in a wheelchair. Regretting the plastic surgery that's made him 'white'. As Michael Jackson turns 50, is this what he should really look like? Despite the headline, it’s about more than plastic surgery, and rather sad. [/QUOTE] The earlier attempt seems based on a pre-pubescent photograph, while the one accompanying the article (and in the OP) is based on a picture from his late teens, when his nose and facial structure had achieved some level of maturity. I think the later is probably more accurate, though ultimately who can say? Vitiligo or no vitiligo, what is sad is not so much his skin tone, but the self-hatred that led him to repeatedly carve up his features in that manner. He’s not the only one having trouble believing that he’s fifty. All I see is a sick, sad child. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-michael-jackson-might-have-looked-like/461569.md?page=2)