On my other blog, one of the most persistently popular features is "Berg's Law" - a series of observations that started out as off-handed, off-kilter jokes, but on further thought morphed into absolute iron-clad laws of human, mostly political, mostly "liberal"/leftist", behavior.
They are tongue in cheek. Mostly. Less and less so every year, to be honest.
One of them is "Berg's Eighth Law of Diversity":
American progressivism’s reaction to one of “their”constituents – women, gays or people of color – running for office or otherwise identifying as a conservative is indistinguishable from sociopathic disorder.
It's satire - but the kind of satire that rings true far too often - like when "progressives" yak about their commitment to diversity out of one side of their mouths, but call the most distinguished jurist of our generation an "Uncle Tom", to pick one example.
Women are not exempt - in fact, given the number of prominent women in Trump's cabinet and inner circle, much of the fire has shifted to them.
What a difference a year makes; it seems like only yesterday it was cool to be a woman who spent a little effort, money, and time in plastic surgery to feel like one's best self:
The First Lady of the United States is currently in Africa on a whistlestop solo trip. The teacher looks fantastic during her busy schedule, even at 71. So, how does she do it?
Plastic surgeons and beauty experts weighed in exclusively for Express on just how Mrs. Biden is maintaining her unbelievably youthful look.
Plastic surgeon and medical director at CREO Clinic, Dr. Omar Tillo said: "At 71 years old, Jill Biden's skin always looks refreshed, radiant, and contoured as she is on the go.
Hey - YOLO, right?
Well, it depends not so much on your chromosomes, but your allegiance:
Finally, on the exact same day as The New York Times’ and The Atlantic’s stories, the Independent pushed the envelope even farther: “Mar-a-Lago face: The plastic surgery trend that’s taking over Trump’s inner circle.”...The media is directly mocking the physical appearances of Melania Trump and Kristi Noem… yet tried to convince us that Jill Biden, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, and Kamala Harris were supermodels!
Some of this stuff takes me back to junior high school, listening to the "mean girls" gossiping away:
At Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, his inner sanctum gathered in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda. Among the guests were Melania Trump, Kristi Noem (the Homeland Security Secretary), and Lauren Sanchez (wife of Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos). As they stood meters from each other, it was hard not to notice the similarities. The women gleamed like the polished marble around them, their appearances unmistakably sculpted by the hands of modern cosmetic science. They’re not the only examples of a certain pinched look among the upper echelons of America’s right wing. In fact, the plastic surgery trend has become so prevalent that it has earned a nickname: Mar-a-Lago face.
Coined after Trump’s famous Palm Beach resort — where the president spends much of his time in Florida golfing — the look is defined by nose jobs, face lifts, and an unholy amount of injectables. “It’s the tiny little pixie nose and big lips,” Dr. Faryan Jalalabadi, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, tells The Independent. “The opposite of a natural face in which there’s a delicate balance of proportions.” It’s all in the narrow eyes and elongated smile. It’s Nicole Kidman, post-Stepford Wives. But as Dr. Giselle Prado-Wright, a cosmetic surgeon in Fort Myers, Florida, explains, it’s not just in the “really tight, high cheekbone” but in the fact that the face is “a little bit overfilled.”
And - stop me if you saw this coming - the definition of the virtues being signaled have doubled back on themselves:
Ironically, the rise of Mar-a-Lago face coincides with a growing trend among left-wing A-listers like Kristin Davis and Courteney Cox to dissolve their fillers for a more natural look, alongside increasing demand for less invasive, minimalist procedures. And yet, the women who fit the Mar-a-Lago face mold are doing the opposite and exhibiting what Dr. Jalalabadi likes to call “frozen face,” which is most likely caused by filler obstructing the muscles, and results in less emotive expressions; researchers have found this leads to a lack of ability to connect with others. This has real-world implications. “When you look at them and you’re trying to have a heart-to-heart conversation with this person, it’s hard not to get distracted,” Dr. Jalalabadi notes. “You have a hard time connecting with this person because they can’t move their face.”
"Yes, Mr. Riley. Plastic surgery was never good. It was always bad".
And when AOC and Jasmine Crockett get some work done, the narrative will switch back.
The point, of course, is that there is nothing Big Left hates more than someone who's supposed to be one of them, not being one of them.
