Face It

The message baby boomers have been shouting for a while is finally being heard across the generations: Beauty does not—and for many, cannot—be equated with flawless perfection. Read More

Amazing how the face of one beautiful woman can set off a firestorm, igniting a torrent of emotions far beyond simply "has she or hasn't she?" Welcome to what I call the "Beauty Paradox." Read More

A patient came to me to deal with her anxiety over being phased out of her job. She couldn't tell if her worries were grounded in reality—provoked by a younger colleague who was biting at her heels—or imagined, based more on office politics and general paranoia about getting older. Read More

It is surprising how often patients tell me that even if they were once good sleepers, they more or less give up on sleeping well by the time they hit their 40s and 50s. Frequently, they attribute this change to having children, busy lives or emotional stress. "We don't need as much sleep as we get older, right?" they ask, with a combination of hope and resignation. Well, yes and no. Read More

When I think of Demi Moore, I envision her almost naked—and very pregnant—body on the cover of Vanity Fair. I recall her feminine, sexy figure in the film "Striptease" and her powerful, muscular one in "GI Jane." Moore was, for many of us, the epitome of fearless sensuality, flexibility and strength. Read More

I started using the term "beauty self-esteem" after a journalist asked me to describe the psychological difference between attractiveness and beauty. You, too, might find this term useful in thinking about how you feel about your appearance. Attractiveness is more complicated than meets the eye. Read More

Among the five 2012 Golden Globe nominations for best series were two of television's most controversial shows, Boardwalk Empire and Game of Thrones. Their story lines this past season dared to go where few have gone before, but where more and more seem to be heading: incest. So, is this trendy taboo on television a good thing for our psyches? Read More

When it comes to turning 50, "The Midlife Crisis" is as inaccurate -- and tiresome -- a cliché as "Reinvent Yourself" has become. Sure, the latter sounds more appealing than the former, but both add little to our understanding of what this life stage is really about. Read More

Leslie, a 30-year-old lawyer, walked into her first partner meeting and heads turned. She had a tendency to catch people's eyes -- being 5'8", shapely and stylish -- so today was no different. Apprehensive about the case she planned to present, Leslie felt encouraged by the reactions she sensed in the room. One partner stood up to shake her hand and another asked if she wanted some water. Read More

While some people may still feel hot and bothered about Kim Kardashian's quickie marriage and divorce, perhaps we should focus on the positive side of it all. Imagine had this couple lasted long enough to have a child or two and then faced the stresses of real, not reel, life -- the sleepless nights, the diapers, the in-laws. The collateral damage would have been worse and watching it on T.V. Read More

According to the CDC, most babies in the United States are conceived during December and January. Is it because couples hunker down for the long winter season? Or is it the holiday celebrations and spiked eggnog that lead to mistletoe munchkins nine months later? Whatever the reason, the statistics remain pretty consistent. Read More

The singer and activist Harry Belafonte confesses in his new autobiography, "My Song," that he learned a thing or two about raising kids. "I wanted to give my children all they wanted, all I hadn't had. Read More

It may not be illegal to dress a 4-year-old in Pretty Woman regalia or like a mini-Dolly Parton—breast pads and all—but it would seem to border on immoral. And yet there are many parents who have been doing just that—while millions more were watching. Read More

Is blonde and bubbly Jennifer Aniston your ideal of beauty? Or is it sultry Angelina Jolie, the woman Brad Pitt seems to favor? What about Serena Williams, America Ferrera or even Betty White? Read More