The vicious It Girl cycle. Ratajkowski, who blew up after starring in Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" video, is in fact the perfect example of what happens when a young, pretty girl takes the industry by storm. She made her big-screen debut in Gone Girl and will appear next in the Entourage movie, and while details on her role are scarce, I've seen every Entourage. It's a safe bet she'll be eye candy, playing opposite actors in their 30s and 40s. Then there's 24-year-old Margot Robbie, whose path to stardom was the opposite of Rajatkowski's; she drew buzz for her sharp turn in an Oscar-nominated film, The Wolf of Wall Street. But where did she land next? Pretty much the same place: costarring with a guy a couple decades her senior in Will Smith's Focus (he's 46). See, ageism works against young actresses too, because they're too often put on the hot-girl track regardless of their acting chops.
So why does this matter for all of us non-Hollywood people? Because it's the all part of the tabloid tapestry that makes us feel inferior next to stars. When an actress has her face pulled tight or emerges from the birthing suite as a snapped-back size 2, and we blame her for perpetuating an unachievable image, we're missing the point. You might not want to be cellulite's official spokesperson, either, if it meant your job would evaporate. So, look to their bosses—the people sitting across the casting room and in the studio corner offices. They're mostly men, they're mostly old, and if their choices are any indication, they're the ones who are terrified of time passing. Not us.
