This is what Nicole Kidman and Courteney Cox hath wrought. A particularly fresh-faced, beautiful, talented young Filipino singer named Charice Pempengco got a dream gig: a part on Glee. How did she prepare for the gig? Did she hire an acting coach, maybe? Did she do some vocal exercises? No and no. This chick got Botox. SHE’S 18! For the love of God.
Filipino teenage singer Charice Pempengco says she prepared for her debut on the hit TV show “Glee” by getting Botox and an anti-aging procedure “to look fresh on camera.”
The 18-year-old Charice, whose singing career rocketed after appearing on Ellen DeGeneres’ and Oprah Winfrey’s talk shows, underwent a 30-minute Thermage skin-tightening procedure and Botox to make her “naturally round face” more narrow, celebrity cosmetic surgeon Vicki Belo told ABS-CBN television.
Charice, in the same interview, said last week’s face makeover was part of her big preparations for her appearance on the hit show’s second season. She starts filming at the end of this month.
“All people will be anticipating how will Charice look? Is she good enough to pit against Rachel Berry? So of course there is tremendous pressure,” Charice said.
In an earlier TV interview, she said she auditioned for “Glee” in mid-June in Los Angeles and was thankful to have been accepted.
“It’s really a blessing,” she said, adding she was “very proud to be an Asian, very proud to be Filipino.”
On the streets of Manila on Monday, some residents who follow Charice had mixed feelings about what she did with her face.
“I think it’s OK for women to have procedures done, but Charice is too young. Does she need it?” said Patricia Carpio, a 21-year-old student.
For Myrna Lumanao, a 23-year-old seller in a doughnut stall, looking natural is better. “I guess she can afford to have those procedures done because she has the money, but I wish she did not change her looks.”
Born Charmaine Clarice Relucio Pempengco and raised with her brother by a single mother, she sang in local contests and appeared on TV talent shows in the Philippines and South Korea before she got a big break on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” at age 15.
She later appeared several times on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and credits Winfrey for helping push her career.
[From Huffington Post]
The only minor blessing is that the ‘Tox probably won’t damage her looks long-term, especially if she only does it once. Now, it’s bad enough that there are American girls who are 18, 19 years old who feel like they need to do the ‘Tox to look “fresh” (note to those girls: try drinking water and get a good night’s rest, trust me, it’s cheaper and more effective). But when we begin to export our f-cked up notions of beauty and Botox? That’s just sick.
UPDATE: Charice’s rep tells Us Weekly that she got ‘Toxed “to relieve a jaw problem similar to TMJ. It did not hurt; it relieved the pain. You’ve seen her face – she doesn’t have a wrinkle in it so she wouldn’t need it for cosmetic purposes. The Glee people are thrilled with the way she looks which is why she got the part. [Charice] has had no makeover other than to change her hair back to its natural color. Other than that, she’s not changing anything about the way she looks.”
Header: Charice on June 4, 2010. Credit: WENN.
WWWWHHHHHYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!
Methinks this girl does not understand the purpose of botox! How much younger does she expect to look? This is ludicrous.
In response to an earlier comment of ‘Whyyy?”
– Because she is yet another superficial bimbo, that’s why. Seriously, these people are so insignificant.
I love this girl, she is freakin’ amazing, saw her a few years ago singing with Celine Dion. I hope she blows up in the states.
I’m thinking some of her people talked her into getting this procedure done and she went with it…pretty foolish.
There is *some* merit to getting Botox young. Botox freezes the muscles, meaning they essentially don’t age while they’re in Botox Suspended Animation, if you will. If she were to keep doing it, she wouldn’t have wrinkles when she’s 40 if she suddenly stopped.
I’m not going to say whether that’s cool or insane, although this girl could end up being seriously unhappy when she realizes she cannot control all signs of aging. She WILL end up with eye and mouth wrinkles, which will look weird when she has a baby-smooth forehead.
I wish our society would realize that aging doesn’t mean women stop being sexy or desirable. In a lot of cultures, more mature women are more revered for their er… “experience and prowess.” I know we’re sort of embracing that with the whole cougar thing, but that might just be a fad. And cougars still use Botox.
omigod – if she starts with the botox at 18, she’s going to look like the cat lady in another 10 years, maybe even sooner. What’s next? Duck lips? Rhinoplasty for that angular nose? Eye surgery to make her look “less asian”? Where does it stop?
What a stupid stupid stupid girl.
She could’ve changed her hair and looked more fresh than by using botox.
My Goodness. This has been blown out of proportion. I feel sad for Charice.
1) Charice did not get Botox shots to make herself look younger. 2) According to the doctor (in an interview), Charice went to her clinic because she has a couple of pimples on her forehead. 3) The doctor suggested that Charice should get Botox shots and thermage treatment because she (BELO) noticed that Charice’s cheeks were getting bigger. Supposedly, Charice’s cheek muscles got bigger because she constantly chews gum. 4) Charice shouldn’t have listened to the Filipino doctor (Dr. Belo). Belo is freakin’ crazy!
My Goodness. This has been blown out of proportion. I feel sad for Charice.
1) Charice did not get Botox shots to make herself look younger. 2) According to the doctor (in an interview), Charice went to her clinic because she has a couple of pimples on her forehead. 3) The doctor suggested that Charice should get Botox shots and thermage treatment because she (BELO) noticed that Charice’s cheeks were getting bigger. Supposedly, Charice’s cheek muscles got bigger because she constantly chews gum. 4) Charice shouldn’t have listened to the Filipino doctor (Dr. Belo). Belo is freakin’ crazy!
Can somebody please answer the following questions for me:
1) Who the eff is this girl??
2) Show me a list of “All people will be anticipating how will Charice look? Is she good enough to pit against Rachel Berry?” because according to Charice, this is why she is under “tremendous pressure”.
Thank you!
that’s insane.
“Charice’s cheek muscles got bigger because she constantly chews gum”
I’m no doctor but I’m pretty sure that’s impossible.
This is so sublime in its absurdity, that I am now starting to realize that entertainment-wise we have come full circle, and even though Glee is not reality TV, but a sitcom, what we call “reality television” is far more farcical and contrived than the Waltons or the Simpsons.
These young people who do these things with their faces will all end up looking like the cat lady.
Did this girl not look at the faces of Heidi Montag and Megan Fox before deciding on doing Botox to her own?
Good Lord! She looks about 10 years old! How young does she think she needs to look??? Why isn’t her mother or manager or someone not saying to her “That’s crazy! Don’t do it!” ???
You are really, really confused, which is not so bad, I get it. But botox and minor plastic surgeries are huge in Asia. Way more huge than in America, in fact. So yeah, this reaction is a little naive, but understandable. I live in South Korea and can tell you a thing or two about plastic surgery. It is advertised in every subway. There are small plastic surgery clinics in every basement of nearly every building. it’s as common and getting a mani/pedi. I am not exaggerating. It is literally nothing for girls well under 18 to get these things done here, and in most Asian countries. It doesn’t surprise me at all to read she was in S Korea either. Probably where she first had it done. They get botox, usually in places around their jaw and smile lines to make the jaw stronger and the face look more defined, angled, and ‘fresh’ as they put it. Also, looks like she has had the eyelid procedure; having the eyelids surgically ‘folded’, terribly common to the point that it is rare to see an older girl here–over 18 or so–who has not had it done. Unless hers are naturally like that which, sure, I guess is possible. But it is so common here in young–and I mean YOUNG–girls it wouldn’t surprise me. Only the West (America & co.) makes these things a big deal at all, honestly.
I hope this isnt true. How quickly she sold her soul..
The problem is that young girls will take her example to heart.. Gosh.
Dang.. what is wrong with people. When you are 16+ to me you are at your most beautiful.. just natural. Gosh they are destroying themselves earlier and earlier.. Just saw Cindy Crawford and Courteney Cox-A.. saying how they all use botox too. Man. Welcome to the new world.
Now we have teens joining the parade.. SUCKS..
Another statistic and ungratful for what God gave her. Her voice wasnt enough, the money wasnt enough, the fame wasnt enough, nothing is good enough. People who loved her lovd her as she was obviously. To run the risk of perminantly freezing her face, alergic reaction, and even premature aging ( which does happen ), for a TV show. ASININE and utterly illogical and unethical. The girls face hasnt even fully developed yet. ( a womans facial bone structure doesnt stop growing until 23 ) Its the same situation that girls find tehmselves with they get ther noses done at 16. When they are 24 their faces have gown around the nose but the nose is the same shape it was when they were 16…thus MUCH smaller and disportionate to the whole face.
So this girl might look ‘fresh’ ( for fuck sakes shes a bloody teenager! ) but in four years her genetics will basically bite her in the ass. She will suffer for it people thats a certainty.
@ Angel. Thanks for another perspective of how things are outside of America. Very interesting!
@Angel…plastic surgery may be very common place in Asia, but that doesn’t make it right. Why do women have to change the way they look? Why do they feel they have to look more caucasian? Why are women not happy with how they are? I think maybe more money needs to be spent on enforcing positive self-worth then on cosmetic changes. Its just sad.
Botox? Bad, Thermage, Good! Only Thermage means the next day your face feels bruised and you can’t move anything, even your mouth.
She probably got the Botox in her naso-labials and maybe she had uneven dimples in her cheeks, like I do.
Hunh, Botox at that age. He liver will be shot by the time she’s 45.
OK, this bears repeating:
“Charice’s cheek muscles got bigger because she constantly chews gum”
I’m no doctor but I’m pretty sure that’s impossible.
Angel – thanks for the sad, yet frank perspective. (Sad in that procedures to make oneself “more caucasian” are incredibly common.)
My girlfriend gets botox along her hair line to relieve migraines and pain she has as a result of a car accident. It can be very beneficial so I understand.
Insanity! So her rep approved this?
Anyone know is this a one shot role or will she be a regular on Glee now?
@jeri, she’s just on as a special guest star. i’m not sure how many episodes she will be in but she will not, at least as of now, be a series regular. ryan murphy gave an interview a week or so ago saying how all the guest stars he has this coming season are just there to help fill out the storylines of the main cast members and they won’t have huge storylines. i think he may have realized some people are upset because he’s got these great actors and characters we hardly know anything about and now there are all these new people coming in. we’ll see….and sorry for the rambling…
I’ve actually looked into Botox to relieve my chronic migraines-the medication i’m given for it makes me sick, the occasional botox injection is supposed to be an alternative.
She would’ve been better off doing something to tuck up that burgeoning double chin, rather than botox.
But preventative botox is a great idea when you’re young. I wish I hadn’t poo-pooh’d it when I was in my late-mid 20s, because once or twice-yearly botox when you’re young and smooth means only having to do it twice a year onward, rather than every 6-8 weeks when you’re a wrinkled old bag. I’m only in my early 30s now but I’ll have to go 3-4 times a year rather than only 2x/year to stay fresh looking.
As for the “sky is falling” naysayers who think that by getting a little botox when a girl is, admittedly, a little young is equatable with turning into a “cat-lady”…well…you guys just make me chuckle. I bet you cut your hair with gardening shears and have big spare tires around your middle. And do think any little girl who gets into mama’s lipstick is going to turn into a streetwalker? ZOMG! THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!! The wrath of the Cosmetic Surgery Gods of Vengeance will descend upon them! How dare they do what they want with their faces! You must try to stop them, flabby wrinkled people, before their image apocalypse!
Just because plastic surgery to make yourself look more Caucasian is everywhere in Asia doesn’t make it ok. It makes me feel sick inside to see the droves of Asian women trying to look white. I don’t know why they bother considering so many men find Asian women attractive! (And I’m Asian and have never had plastic surgery). I’ve seen the results of the eye surgery on the Asian women I know and it always looks WEIRD. Why do we hate ourselves so much?
Because God isn’t good enough anymore. We can all accuse ourselves of questioning our moldings. No matter what we do we will always find our flaws when we go looking for them. instead of looking for what makes us individual and unique. The issue is, why are we literally willing to go blind to change ourselves? Because Im in medical school I get the insiders ‘latest’ and there is a new procedure to CHANGE THE COLOUR OF YOUR EYES. Granted you run the risk of going blind but people will actually do this. The thing hasn’t even been approved by medical boards yet and people are voluteering in the thousands one case went wrong then rest went off into the world with their ‘new’ eyes. Most are blue eyed or Brown eyes people. Blue want brown and brown want blue. It’s like a curly haired chick wanting straight hair and the straight haired chick wanting curly hair. IT’S RETARDED. Do people ever think of growing old anymore? Why can’t people be driven to ‘perfect’ themselves through books, literature, philosphy, mathmatics- you know the things that get humanity to PROGREESS???
I am aware of the medicinal benefits to botox, but this girl is another example of how superfical mankind has become. Look at her face everyone and tell me you see somthing wrong with her? Everyone here must have a child or neice- can you honestly tell me you’d be willing to risk your TEENAGED childrens otherwise perfectly healthy and normal selves? OVER A TV SHOW?!
botox for tmj?serously?i have tmj and yes sometimes it hurts really bad but if you know how to treat it the pain goes away after a few days….
This girl has a lovely voice. How sad that she and her handlers are so desperate to make her happen in the US that they would subject her to cosmetic enhancement, as if the way she looks isn’t good enough. It’s even dumber because I doubt those cosmetic changes will help her. Especially now, all they’ll do is invite more scrutiny on her looks.
It’s ironic too because Glee is supposed to be about a bunch of misfits many of whom don’t fit your stereotypical idea of attractive.
I heard her on Oprah and dont get the fuss? She is a very average singer. She couldnt hold a candle to any of the girls on Glee.
This is all just BS publicity for her and the show.
@julie: Thank you, nice to know. I don’t want new regulars now.
ok botox for “jaw pain” is bogus. Just like surgery for a deviated septum leaving you with a new nose (anyone who knows anything about surgery knows that repairing a deviated septum does not change the look of a nose).
Also, check out the Asian news. She says she got botox to look “fresh” not for jaw pain. Botox on the cheeks is a procedure used in Asian countries to make your face narrower (trying to look more Caucasian) by getting your cheek muscles to atrophy. I’m guessing that’s what she’s doing as its been said that she was afraid her face was getting too wide.
Well I guess this is true! Here she is getting it done on camera!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXp_bZ26Lvk&feature=player_embedded
“I’m only in my early 30s now but I’ll have to go 3-4 times a year rather than only 2x/year to stay fresh looking.”
First of all, what the hell are you doing to yourself to need all this work?
Getting older (and, just maybe, looking it) isn’t a curse. It’s nature, it’s life. Live it. Enjoy it. Don’t try & look 20 when you’re not. First of all, you’re…you know…not 20. Be proud of that. Second, we can all tell anyway. It’s the look of desperation & fear that gives you away. Wear sunblock, get enough sleep, some exercise, a reasonable diet, & you’re good.
I have TMJ, and one whole side of my face swelled up 2 years ago (and was forever captured on my driver’s license). I was given muscle relaxers, and told to use hot compresses to make the swelling go down. Also, to avoid gum, and eat only soft foods when I have an attack. No one mentioned botox. The next time I need to see the oral surgeon for a muscle relaxer refill, I’m going to ask him about this.
I saw her on Oprah and was actually surprised she’s a teenager. I thought she was ten. My roommate was telling me that she’s lucky Oprah is her benefactor because she’ll never turn into Miley or Taylor Momsen. Oh well. Welcome to Hollywood, Charice!
I heard she had that done to reduce the roundness of her face. Wuttt??? She’s the only cast on Glee who’s actually a teenager. It’s Lea Michelle who should undergo some procedures.
Oh well, the doctor who botoxed her in front of the cameras also wants free publicity. Vicky Belo has a clinic in Beverly Hills and tadaa. Soon her clinic will be filled with clients with “TMJ” problems.
@Karen #11, she’s a terrific performer and an awesome belter.
Changing the color of your eyes isn’t the lastest insider info. Dr. Kahn patented it in 2006. And yes, it is stupid and very dangerous. You can go blind or have other irreversible damage. I have never in my life heard of someone that would want their blue eyes changed to brown.
I still think that they are going to find out Botox causes some kind of damage or neurological problems.
Botox for TMJ? Yeah right.
It is the lastest in cosmetic surgery at least thats what we are told to categorize anything that hasnt passed the 10 year mark ( its not considered medicinal so we didnt stay on the topic matter for very long -its purely cosmetic which isnt what Im going into ) five years for somthing ( that is absolutely unethical) being on the market is NOT very long in medcine. But I am absolutely against such a pointless and indeed positively patient endangering procedure. Whether its a blue eyed being brown or brown being blue is irrelevent; the issue is people are willing to go BLIND for somthing that they literally have no idea what the outcome in the long term may be.
Are these the vital values parents want their children to cherish? It’s okay to risk damage to your body and brain but it’s not okay to ….? Where is this line now? Where do you draw it?
Brown eyes are horribly awful, aren’t they? I’d say they’re almost as bad as turbo-acne, but far, far worse than not having a date on Wendnesday afternoon. Don’t we all wish we were dead?
LOL @ Jo ‘Mama’ Besser.I imagine there is people out there that would want brown eyes, it’s just that blue/green/grey/hazel eyes seem to be the preference.
My brown eyes are just fine to me, no need to risk going blind.
Either SK has changed a lot since I have been there or I was completely oblivious to their obesession with plastic surgery. Maybe because I don’t know the language…
“Blah blah blah ZOMG! THE SKY IS FALLING!!!!! The wrath of the Cosmetic Surgery Gods of Vengeance will descend upon them! Blah blah blah”
@”DeeDee”, it’s fairly nuts to equate botox with a haircut or lipstick, and you know it.
Unless you are mentally challenged you would be completely aware that an eighteen year old could not possibly need botox, and you are aware that it is made of poison. Those are the reasons that people are shocked by a child using it.
I find it amusing when hypersensitive types like you lash out and call everyone fat and wrinkly, just because they have a different opinion. If you were confident in your odd choices, you wouldn’t be so riled up.
@DeeDee – You’re in you’re early 30s and you botox? Hahaha, I’m sure you think you look “fresh” but I guarantee you there are people behind your back laughing at you and thinking you look weird and frozen.
FYI. The jaw muscle extends from your jaw up to your temple. With TMJ, the jaw muscles are inflamed and will protrude leaving a very prominent mass around one’s face. Other than the superficial, TMJ is sometimes very painful and may affect one’s speech & hearing especially if it is already severe. And yes, excessive chewing of gum can bring about TMJ.
From what I see of Charice, it seems like she is suffering from TMJ. If you can compare, her face has exponentially & unusually gotten much rounder as compared to her already naturally round face in just a few months. If it was just a natural growth, like gaining weight like most adolescent kids heading towards their awkward years as a young adult, the mass on her chins will also be protruding – double chin, which isn’t as significant as Charice’s temporomandibular joint.
Now, the botox and thermage procedures done on her isn’t a permanent treatment but a very effective “band aid” solution. But it seems like, with her commitments and the things that are lined-up for her, she may not have the luxury of a permanent, invasive surgery that will render her incapable from performing as a singer for a good 3 months of recovery. Not to mention that this invasive surgery may permanently affect her singing capabilities.
As to why it was done by a Cosmetic Doctor and this eventually casting doubt that she may have also done something else, my short answer is “Why not?” The procedures done are actually very practical for her situation. This is what they call “two birds with one stone.” Not only does it temporarily relieves her of her TMJ and, in due course, will also reduce the mass growing around her face – which is good for TV appearances, I assume. Why a Cosmetic Doctor and not a Dentist? Why not? They too are licensed to do so. And not to mention, it was done for FREE (well, technically it wasn’t since it was an “X-Deal”) – which explains the local TV News coverage and why the Doctor was blabbering more about the “beauty-results” rather than the treatment for the TMJ. It was to promote the Cosmetic Doctor’s business! Definitely, this was not about promoting Charice as a singer!
The problem about this whole thing is the manner this “X-Deal” was done with the Doctor and the manner it was presented to the media. Of course, media will bite the news more if it was tagged as a cosmetic procedure rather than a minor treatment for TMJ. The ones handling Charice should have been much careful with these details. They should have learned their lesson when they had Charice promoting her single in (gay) bars when she was still barely 18 years of age.
I’d like to spare Charice of this problem but it is already up in the air. But I’d like to also point-out that having a round face is not a uniquely Filipino countenance – having brown skin and a small nose is but that even isn’t even true anymore as the Malay population in the Philippines is getting more diverse or mixed as the our history would tell by being once a colony of Spain, America and Japan.
where the heck is her neck?
this girl is f**king shallow and retarded…she’s only 18 and i don’t believe her reasons for getting botox…shame on her and shame on the doctor!
Botox is actually an incredibly effective treatment for TMJ–after 6 months of physical therapy (I didn’t know there was physical therapy for the jaw, but there was!) my oral surgeon recommended it. As mentioned in a previous post, that muscle connected to your mandible pulls across your temple, and the aching/stiffness in that joint can cause migraines, among many other things. In my case, my entire left side is tight from the jaw, through my temple, and down my left shoulder–even my breast tissue on the left is tougher as a result. I often regret my decision to continue with the physical therapy instead of try the Botox, but I had ill-informed opinions of Botox and all its implications at the time. Now I know better.
On a side note, I found the opinions formed in the comment sections about this girl, based on a tiny piece of misinformation, completely astounding, even horrifying.
someone teach this girl humility and finesse. she has an amazing voice but the way she overuses her hands while performing is terribly distracting! it shows how uncouth and unrefined she is.
botox is not only use to make u look fresh or to look young…botox can ease your severe headache…and to relax muscles and to lessen ur sweating…
lots of people only know that botox is for anti aging treatment..
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