Demi Moore’s “Matter” has made headlines not only for her charismatic performance, but also for the film’s exploration of aging and fleeting youth in a fresh and terrifying way. Actress Amber Tamblyn, who has appeared in the “Summer of Jeans” and “The Grudge” films, wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about the time she was forced to get ear stud surgery at age 12 in order to fit in with her peers. Titled “This Hollywood Horror Touches the Heart,” the article references the ear stud surgery that Tamblyn underwent after landing her first television role on “General Hospital” at age 12.
“I often stared at myself in the mirror and wished my ears were attached to my head when some of my classmates at school in Los Angeles made fun of them,” she wrote. “Knowing that millions of people around the world would judge me on TV screens, not just on the playground, changed everything for me.”
Tamplin went on to share that the film’s depiction of women being abandoned and forgotten as they grow up isn’t necessarily fiction.
“These are universal realities faced by all women, regardless of background or profession,” Tamblyn continued in her op-ed. “Subtle messages of sexism are passed down as intergenerational wisdom almost from birth. From an early age, we are taught to value our bodies for what they are, and then we are left with a lifetime of debt to achieve that goal. Yes, we had plastic surgery, but we also went through a period of self-torture that taught us that anything we say, do, weigh, or want is always right — and that only by making fewer mistakes can we make them less.”
The actress clarified that she would not judge anyone who chooses to undergo plastic surgery, but she advised anyone who sees “Matter” to look beyond its sci-fi horror themes and explore the film’s deeper messages.
“I’m not saying plastic surgery is bad, or that everyone who chooses to change their body will regret it — including my 12-year-old self,” Tamblyn added. “But Elizabeth Sparks (Moore’s character) is a warning to all of us about what we might be willing to destroy in pursuit of desire, what monsters we might be willing to become in pursuit of perfection.”
She concluded with a message of affirmation to herself and anyone who wants to feel “beautiful and desired.”
“I am happy with who I am today as a writer, actor, and artist — crow’s feet, chin hair, and all. But I am also not immune to wanting to be beautiful and desired, and to indulging in that desire. I will not apologize for what I have done, or what I have not done. As I have become more protective, compassionate, and honest, my relationship with my body has changed, even healed,” she concluded. “Sometimes, if we’re not careful, our commitments become consequences. There may be an untapped collective power in not giving up, not giving in.”
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