Thursday, January 29, 2009

Law School and Aging

The US president has, I would argue, the most stressful job in the world.  This is widely believed to contribute to the drastic aging they experience in appearance over 4 or 8 years.  BoingBoing has an approximation of what President Obama will look like in 4 years: 
















Here are two pictures of former President Bush, taken in 2000 and 2007:
















(Found via Google image search from a random website: SurfCasting.)

I wonder if law students go through a similar transformation, although to a lesser extent.  I've noticed that I absolutely look older than I did at the beginning of law school, but I don't know if that's just because I am actually older or if the stress has made it more severe.  Law students (or professors) out there: What do you think?

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yup - older and fatter - ask almost any other law student after 3 years and they'll tell you the same as me

Anonymous said...

You do look very different in the picture posted on your profile to this blog than your picture in the paper. I thought you almost looked like a different person but everyone looks different at certain angels, maybe it's just the picture settings. Who knows, maybe people can reverse the damage of law school to themselves after they graduate, but probably only if they dont go into big law.

Anonymous said...

I always think candid photo shots reflect a person's true appearance than planned headshots.

This is largely because people plan for headshots and mess with the hair, tan, makeup, clothes, accessories, and angles in a way that makes the person look very much different than he or she typically does during school or work hours.

Also, newspapers sometimes have an agenda to promote a certain story slant or justify an editorial opinion. Like if an article is about a sleazy executive charged with a white collar crime, the newspaper will be sure to show the guy in a business suit and looking grim and uncomfortable.

Or if the angle of the story is that a "girl next door" was murdered, the photo will be of a smiling prom shot or a smiling cheerleader or drum major photo.

Invariably, when an American newspaper's article concerns a foreign policy dispute -- virtually always from a "how this affects America" and "why won't this little country understand that our policies are superior and be grateful" viewpoint -- there will be photos accentuating the other country's people "foreign-ness," like they'll be dressed in traditional Muslim or anicent Chinese outfits, even though those are only worn for ceremonial occasions or generally not worn at all. Or at least one of the paper's photo will depict some sort of foreign armed soldier or armed vehicle to make the reader perceive the other country as confrontational or hostile.

Notice that the newspaper article about SEN was about proper grammar and had a "Miss Manners" tone and angle about it. And notice that SEN was forced to wear -- or maybe chose to wear -- that frumpy, prim and proper Southern belle dress. I half-wondered why SEN wasn't wearing a bonnet and corset. LOL!

So I prefer to look at candid photos not taken or chosen by a for-profit periodical to get a closer reflection of reality:

http://thankyoumaam.blogspot.com/2008/08/new-orleans.html

In these photos, SEN has been outside and drinking for a while, so she hasn't had the time or opportunity to check herself out in a mirror. Obviously, the guy doesn't care about his appearance.

And you know what? SEN's pretty good! That guy is definitely overachieving!

p.s. I like the twinkle and slight "come hither" look in the straw photo, too.

Anonymous said...

One minor correction to my post:

I just checked, and SEN was actually wearing a gray turtleneck sweater and sitting in the law library next to her laptop. She was not wearing a frumpy dress.

But that kind of illustrates my point. One week after reading the article, my recollection was that she was wearing a frumpy dress in the photo that could have matched with a bonnet and corset. That's because I remember vague themes relating to: (1) being proper, (2)following the rules, and (3) being Southern. So the paper created and chose a picture that doesn't reflect reality.

Certainly, I don't think the NOLA photos would have fit with the tone of the article. If the NOLA photos had been used instead of the turtleneck sweater photo, the tenor of the article would be undermined. And SEN would look like a party girl instead of a future Laura Bush.

But like I said before, I personally prefer the NOLA photos.

Anonymous said...

I doubt the newspaper chose her outfit. I think she actually chose to wear that outfit (not sure why), though it's not a dress, its still very frumpy. Unrelated but I agree with 6:27, that guy needs a lot of work on his appearance, and needs to lose weight. He kinda looks like a big dork.

Anonymous said...

Yeah but look at that glasses pic she posted - not cute

Anonymous said...

You guys are harsh, he doesnt look that bad.

Anonymous said...

I think it's just that the newspaper pic was just a bad picture, we all take them

Anonymous said...

I don't think the newspaper pic is that bad. It's just not a great angle, it makes you look bigger than the NO pictures. Also, everyone looks better in the summer when we're tan and fresh than the winter.

Anonymous said...

Looking at SEN's NOLA photos, I have to say one thing:

I'd hit it.

Anonymous said...

Yeah but based on that other pic I'd have to say, I wouldn't hit it.

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