Photographer shows what older male celebrities would look like if they were edited like women
It looks ridiculous. And that's the point.

Wow. What a difference.
Caroline Ross is a professional photographer who specializes in fashion and editorial photography—you know, the kind of fancy images that grace magazine covers and billboards and the like. So it’s safe to assume she knows her way around Photoshop.
Over on her TikTok channel, Ross helps others gain social media literacy by showing exactly how Photoshop is used to create the highly stylized images we’re so used to seeing in advertisements…so much that we might forget it’s not real.
Recently, Ross also highlighted the double standards that exist when it comes to older female celebrities versus their male counterparts by applying the same amount of Photoshop to cover shoots of actors in their fifties that would be used on actresses of the same age.
When you see the side-by-side comparison—and how ridiculous it looks—it’s hard to deny how hardwired our brains are to accept, even admire aging in men, and at the same time expect women to remain untouched by time…lest they become an unsavory hag, that is.
In the video, Ross shows Pedro Pascal, David Beckham, Idris Elba, Ben Affleck, Gerard Butler, Owen Wilson, Paul Rudd, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds (all ruggedly handsome in their own way) suddenly have every wrinkle completely smoothed out.
Watch:
@caroline_in_thecity I definitely think about this everytime i see a cute little wrinkles on ‘silver foxes’ and smoothed doll skin on women the same age. #pedropascal #maybeitsphotoshop #photoshop ♬ Makeba - Jain
Crazy, right? These guys look like completely different people once “yassified”—well, except for the immortal Paul Rudd, maybe. But the point is: seeing the stark difference laid out like that is illuminating. Several folks chimed in to comment on how it perfectly pinpoints how beauty standards have failed us.
“Yes!!! 🙌 ‘Men age better’ just equals- ‘we’re used to seeing men age’ It’s almost like representation matters 🤔,” one person wrote.
“I think we all knew this but SEEING IT is something else. Thank you for creating this,” wrote another.
Yet another added: “I've just realized why I'm convinced my husband is getting more attractive with age while I go downhill. I've been conditioned!,” another said.
You might have noticed the biggest Photoshop transformation can be seen on the forehead. In another video, Ross explained how women are rarely allowed to have visible expression in this area. It’s covered up with editing, Botox or (most likely) both.
@caroline_in_thecity Thisbisnoiterally the reason I get forehead botox. I always notice womens amooth foreheads in media. #maybeitsphotoshop #photoshop #bopo #40plus #greenscreen ♬ original sound - Caroline In The City
Meanwhile, men are often “intentionally asked to raise their forehead and create these expression lines in their face,” Ross says while showing an editorial spread of Ben Affleck sporting his signature “adorable puppy” eyebrow furrow.
“Like when would you ever see a 50-year-old female celebrity with this expression on their face?” Ross asks. The answer, one we all know deep down inside, is almost never. This is because, as Ross eloquently puts it, men are allowed to “look like mature adult beings” while women are “expected to be these smooth dolls their entire lives.”
Yes, it’s frustrating that despite all the progress we have made with beauty standards, ageism and sexism, those modern views aren’t always reflected in Hollywood or in social media…two major influences for how people, especially young people, perceive the world. But that’s why efforts like Ross’ make such a huge difference. We are able to see firsthand how we are trained to think. Which, in turn, helps us to think differently. Or, at the very least, not succumb to low self esteem just because we don’t resemble works of fiction.
Care to see more of Ross’s videos? Follow her on TikTok.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.