Mofo Politics | Hoping Obama Fails

Did Biden get Botox?

Posted October 14th, 2008 under Headlines Tags: biden, botox

The Washington Post wonders.

Something about his eyes, which seem smaller, and his forehead, which seems smoother. Compared with images from last year, he seems better rested — yet also, strangely, a little sleepier.

Or go to YouTube: In the July 2007 CNN debate, his face turned sharp and keen with his impassioned call to send troops to Darfur, a frustrated pair of vertical lines in his brow as he described the suffering of refugees. This month, debating Sarah Palin, we heard similar anger in his voice about a lack of funding in Afghanistan — but saw a tranquil brow.

Karen Bradley, a University of Maryland professor who studies politicians’ body movement and what it conveys to voters, says it’s “a little strange that nothing moves from his eyes on up” — since she otherwise finds Biden a compelling communicator who powerfully telegraphs his conviction on a topic via other body language.

Barry Cohen, a Rockville plastic surgeon, is more blunt. “He clearly has had Botox,” the doctor, a Republican, told us. “The lines are gone on his forehead. There is no way makeup or surgery could do that.” Georgetown spa owner Erwin Gomez, who knows his way around some of D.C.’s most scrupulously groomed faces, agrees: “On the right and the left temple, you can see the lines, but he has no wrinkles in the forehead.” He suspects the senator had a shot of Botox in his brow to disable his scowl muscle — which can also bring an unwanted heaviness to the eyelids.