The real Michael Jackson

November 30, 2003 4:11 PM

If Michael Jackson hadn't undergone any plastic surgery, today he would look like this.
posted by Mwongozi (29 comments total)

oh my god.
posted by item at 4:23 PM on November 30, 2003

Holy cow...he looks NORMAL in the age-progression! What a shame he's such a freak...
posted by davidmsc at 4:23 PM on November 30, 2003

I can picture the "real" old Michael Jackson (as pictured here on the right) laying down some Barry White style soul. It's a mad world.
posted by Jimbob at 4:28 PM on November 30, 2003

What surprises me is that he isn't better looking in the age progression picture - he was so cute as a lad. And how did Janet get so gorgeous? Judicious surgery?
posted by orange swan at 4:30 PM on November 30, 2003

LOL

That picture is an excellent example of the lameness of forensic art.

So MJ would have a part in his fro like it was 10 years ago if he didn't have plastic surgery?

Is plastic surgery the reason why he is skinny? Because the guy in picture doesn't have the face of a skinny man.

It is pretty sad when you can't even catch fish in a barrel honestly.
posted by srboisvert at 4:30 PM on November 30, 2003

Hmm, don't agree. No vitiligo, he would be much thinner, and the lips look off, he didn't have a mouth like that during the "Off the Wall" era. Should of worked from a photo of him at 19 or so. See this classic page.
posted by bobo123 at 4:31 PM on November 30, 2003

Orthodontia is not usually considered plastic surgery, to my knowledge. I also like to think he'd dress just a tad better.
posted by sageleaf at 4:43 PM on November 30, 2003

Artist's disclaimer: Aging a suspect is an interpretive art and should be considered as only one of many possible biological outcomes.

'course, Michael's tested out many of the other possible outcomes, as seen on bobo's link.
posted by msacheson at 4:43 PM on November 30, 2003

Ashasbeen said of Michael Jackson: he went from being a poor, black boy to become a rich white woman.
posted by Postroad at 5:04 PM on November 30, 2003

He dressed better when he was younger, according to these photos.
posted by robbie01 at 5:42 PM on November 30, 2003

They should have based it off a slightly older picture. Aging someone nearly 40 years is leaving a lot to interpretation. His facial structure changed a lot when he hit puberty.
posted by jerseygirl at 5:47 PM on November 30, 2003

Now we know what he would look like if he were a Star Wars ghost.
posted by condour75 at 5:48 PM on November 30, 2003

His nose and lips are too big, I think. They would have gotten smaller in perportion to the rest of his head.
posted by delmoi at 7:41 PM on November 30, 2003

I guess the real question is: Does Michael Jackson really have vitiligo?

I've seen vitiligo and its huge bleach white patches on the body not a gradual reduction of one's skin pigment.

If I had to bet I'd say he was lying. He's obsessed with plastic surgery and changing himself and just happens to have the world's nicest form of vitiligo? Seems more than a bit suspicious.

Google image search here.
posted by skallas at 8:56 PM on November 30, 2003

Of course it could be both: "bleaching" abuse to cover spotty vitiligo. So many conspiracy theories, so few Michael Jacksons.
posted by skallas at 9:03 PM on November 30, 2003

Damn, skallas, you beat me to it! I was just going to say that Michael could have vitiligo and be rich enough to afford bleaching treatments to cover it up. Now, I'm not saying he does have vitiligo, just that its possible. Of course, I believe someone had speculated at some point that he originally started wearing 'the glove' because he was covering up vitiligo on his hand. Perhaps it spread. I believe I might have heard somewhere that it spreads...
posted by PigAlien at 9:54 PM on November 30, 2003

So. Is the deal that he has a new album coming out soon? Seems I only hear the latest about Michael Jackson when he's got a new album coming out. Or maybe that's just coincidental. His childhood work with The Five was exceptional. Off The Wall was fun. Thriller was amazing (thanks more to The Q than MJ). Bad was adequate. Dangerous was disappointing. At one time I was a fan of moderate interest, but I haven't paid much attention to Michael Jackson recently, because his work doesn't speak to me or interest me in any real way anymore.

His personal life is personal. There are people who believe when someone becomes a celebrity, they automatically forego any resemblance of a personal life. Their lives become public domain. I used to smile and nod at that. Now I think it's a load of bullshit.

Was it a physical disease or a mental aberration which caused him to do whatever he's done to himself or others? I don't know. I don't care. I don't understand why anyone cares. If there's irrefutable evidence that he's committed a crime, I have enough idealism left to believe one way or another, justice will be served. Personally, I try not to judge. Sometimes I do. I try to consciously catch myself when I do. When it comes to MJ, I look away, because one way or the other it simply does not affect me personally.

He's an entertainer. And in his prime he was a damn good one. I admired his talent at one time but today, MJ offers nothing of any real substance to the audience. I'm sure there's still a diehard cult following and more power to those fans of his, but to resort to age progression techniques to say "if only he'd made the kinda choices WE would make for him.." It's pathetic. He doesn't look like LeVar Burton with a busted nose. He looks like what he looks like today. If you can't stomach it, look away. Apparently he can look at himself in the mirror and that's all that should matter to him.

So we would have spent his money differently. So effing what? If you enjoy his work and enjoy the man, more power to ya. Whatever. If you don't, turn to something or someone you can enjoy. If you enjoy finding new ways to belittle Michael Jackson and the choices he's made in his life when you don't even know the guy personally, well you're just a petty smalll mind.
posted by ZachsMind at 10:16 PM on November 30, 2003

Whatcha gonna do when ZachsMind runs wild on you, brother!?! ;)
posted by The God Complex at 10:51 PM on November 30, 2003

For what it's worth, the reason I care about any of that is I think it's a telling indictment of the Hollywood Dream Machine.
posted by The God Complex at 10:52 PM on November 30, 2003

Amen to that. I would like to add that I feel very sorry for him. He has had a crappy life despite all of his successes and there are other people elsewhere who have been shorter on money and longer on hugs. I think the man could use some more hugs.

O.K. i know that's a set up for child molestation jokes, just stop. Its america, Innocent until proven guilty, and that case looks as shaky as the back porch on a college apartment.
posted by sourbrew at 10:59 PM on November 30, 2003

And his music would still be boring pop crap.
posted by HTuttle at 11:01 PM on November 30, 2003

Yeah, I know, 20 zillion people disagree with me, but then 20 zillion also eat at McDonalds every day. Shows the value of that standard.
posted by HTuttle at 11:03 PM on November 30, 2003

ZM: There are people who believe when someone becomes a celebrity, they automatically forego any resemblance of a personal life.

Yes, these people are called record company executives. Think before you sign that contract.

The music industry promotes people as celebrities first and artists second. As someone who barely watches TV (I have a Tivo to screen out the crap) I sure as hell know a lot about the personal lives of many artists. Why is that? Am I a rabid fan who subscribes to the tabloids? No, of course not.

The problem is that the industry itself feeds the lowest common denominator's boredom with amazing tales of celebritites. Look who's gay today, look who's driving a new ferrari, look at who just lost weight, here's some dirty laundry, etc.

Pop music is almost never about the music, its about the scene, the 'tude, the person, the money, the lifestyle, etc. Its all in the marketing.

Its not hard to envision a pop-music system that's about music and not about celebrity, its just that commercializing every aspect of the performer's life is simply more profitable.
posted by skallas at 11:21 PM on November 30, 2003

ZachsMind : He's been arrested for child molestation, thats why he's in the news these days. Havn't you been paying attention? It even made mefi, dispite the protestations fo the anti-newsfilter crowds
posted by delmoi at 1:54 AM on December 1, 2003

From the same artist. I guessed Michelle Pfieffer / Jamie Lee Curtis.
posted by Feisty at 2:00 AM on December 1, 2003

here's some dirty laundry

Ah, Don Henley. A prophet for our times.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 2:00 AM on December 1, 2003

Now, i want to play with this technology... but i want to do it the other way around. I want to stick in a picture of him now and see what the someone would have to start off looking like to get there. ;)
posted by twine42 at 4:13 AM on December 1, 2003

Its not hard to envision a pop-music system that's about music and not about celebrity, its just that commercializing every aspect of the performer's life is simply more profitable.

Skalla: Explain this vision to me.

Also, did no one tell you that starting an argument with "I don't watch TV" is like saying "I'm a knee jerk lefty who's never had to have a real job, better hope I'm a teenager!"
posted by Leonard at 9:57 AM on December 1, 2003

And in another 30 years, he'll look like this!
posted by bwg at 12:10 AM on December 4, 2003