Jacinda Ahern

[Paul Nuttall]

Since she announced she was resigning a few photos have been doing the rounds showing how she has changed over the years.

Has she been fed on by a space vampire form Lifeforce or a Wraith from Stargate Atlantis?

[Craiglxviii]

I saw her on the news, and my first thought was that she had cancer of some sort. Almost skeletal looking. Not just “haggard through stress”.

[Bernard Woolley]

It’s the effect of stress and responsibility. I remember how much Blair changed post 1997. He wouldn’t get a meme these days, of course, because he’s a man.

[Craiglxviii]

It’s the effect of stress and responsibility. I remember how much Blair changed post 1997. He wouldn’t get a meme these days, of course, because he’s a man.

I remember that and had the same thoughts, but he rather went from “young & fresh” to “grey and stressed”.

Ahern went from “young & pretty” to “riddled crack addict” pretty damn quickly.

[Zen9]

Always thought it more extreme with John Major, the day he left No.10 and went to a cricket match. The years seemed to fall off him.

But Ardern seems to have done a 'Cameron', and jumped ship before the inevitable crash.

Sort a ringwraith effect with her though. Presumably had she stayed in service to the forces of darkness, she'd fade away until just a silhouette of shadow.

[Poohbah]

She wants the precious

[Johnnie Lyle]

It’s the effect of stress and responsibility. I remember how much Blair changed post 1997. He wouldn’t get a meme these days, of course, because he’s a man.

I remember that and had the same thoughts, but he rather went from “young & fresh” to “grey and stressed”.

Ahern went from “young & pretty” to “riddled crack addict” pretty damn quickly.

Compare photos of Clinton, Bush and Obama after the first year in office to their campaign photos. Their faces weren’t as haggard as Arden’s, but they were all gray very quickly, despite being in their 40s.

It might be interesting to compare the effects of stress of political leadership with age. My impression is that you don’t see nearly as stark a change in facial features with older premiers as you do younger ones.

[jemhouston]

Trump didn't see to age that much in office.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Trump didn't see to age that much in office.

He already was either dying his hair, wearing hairpieces and utilizing the fake tan prior to his election, so it’s difficult to tell. But he was also in the high-paced New York business world for decades, so the stress of becoming president was probably nowhere near as big a relative change than for, say, Obama.

Biden also doesn’t seem to have suffered much. He’s just as old looking and kooky as he was during the campaign.

[jemhouston]

Trump didn't see to age that much in office.

He already was either dying his hair, wearing hairpieces and utilizing the fake tan prior to his election, so it’s difficult to tell. But he was also in the high-paced New York business world for decades, so the stress of becoming president was probably nowhere near as big a relative change than for, say, Obama.

Biden also doesn’t seem to have suffered much. He’s just as old looking and kooky as he was during the campaign.

I think that was the key, Trump is used to working high pressure jobs. Even being Govenor for four to eight years don't compare.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Trump didn't see to age that much in office.

He already was either dying his hair, wearing hairpieces and utilizing the fake tan prior to his election, so it’s difficult to tell. But he was also in the high-paced New York business world for decades, so the stress of becoming president was probably nowhere near as big a relative change than for, say, Obama.

Biden also doesn’t seem to have suffered much. He’s just as old looking and kooky as he was during the campaign.

I think that was the key, Trump is used to working high pressure jobs. Even being Govenor for four to eight years don't compare.

He was also in his seventies, so a lot of the physical transformation that Obama, Bush II and Clinton underwent quickly in the White House happened to Trump earlier.

[Pdf27]

Ahern went from “young & pretty” to “riddled crack addict” pretty damn quickly.

Given that during her time in office she had a baby and led the country through a once in a century pandemic, significant ageing is inevitable. I would also note that the first photo seems to have been two decades ago when she was at high school, so they cover half her life - exaggerating to make a good meme.

[Zen9]

I think there is a psychological difference between the pressures of say bring a govenor or opposition leader and the harsh reality of being at the top in a country.

I do think certain older folks handle this better. Possibly a more realistic attitude to themselves and what they can achieve.

Blair certainly looked like he had been hit by a brickbat after Day1 and remarked how it started the minute he was sat down.

Truss looked like a rabbit in the headlights, though other non-PM related pressures were obviously in effect.

Even the self centered narcissists of the modern political class cannot shrug off the pressures that land on them in office.

[Belushi TD]

Ahern went from “young & pretty” to “riddled crack addict” pretty damn quickly.

Given that during her time in office she had a baby and led the country through a once in a century pandemic, significant ageing is inevitable. I would also note that the first photo seems to have been two decades ago when she was at high school, so they cover half her life - exaggerating to make a good meme.

It should also be noted that in the first two pics of the meme, she's smiling, and the second two pics she's in the midst of speaking, and they chose particularly ugly facial expressions to round out the meme.

Pretty standard meme construction for any side. Makes a point. A (slightly to extremely) misleading point, but a point nonetheless.

Belushi TD

[Bernard Woolley]

I think that was the key, Trump is used to working high pressure jobs.

Playing golf in between going bankrupt no doubt had its pressures.

<Hides>

Given that during her time in office she had a baby and led the country through a once in a century pandemic, significant ageing is inevitable.

That Arden managed all of that, in addition to the usual crap that all female politicians get thrown their way is to her credit.

Even the self centered narcissists of the modern political class cannot shrug off the pressures that land on them in office.

Oh, I dunno. Boris Johnson don't seem to look much different from the day he became Foreign Secretary. Suggests to me that he wasn't really under much stress at all. Possibly because other people were doing the actual work.

[jemhouston]

Bernard fair point.

https://www.thoughtco.com/donald-trump- ... es-4152019

I'm honestly not sure it's accurate, but the other options I trust less.

[Johnnie Lyle]

I think that was the key, Trump is used to working high pressure jobs.

Playing golf in between going bankrupt no doubt had its pressures.

<Hides>

Given that during her time in office she had a baby and led the country through a once in a century pandemic, significant ageing is inevitable.

That Arden managed all of that, in addition to the usual crap that all female politicians get thrown their way is to her credit.

Even the self centered narcissists of the modern political class cannot shrug off the pressures that land on them in office.

Oh, I dunno. Boris Johnson don't seem to look much different from the day he became Foreign Secretary. Suggests to me that he wasn't really under much stress at all. Possibly because other people were doing the actual work.

BoJo looks like someone who never had a moment of self-doubt in his life, especially when screwing up and scoring own goals. Since a lot of the stress comes from self-doubt and fears of screwing up, getting it wrong and bad things happening, BoJo wouldn’t be all that stressed.

[Zen9]

Oh, I dunno. Boris Johnson don't seem to look much different from the day he became Foreign Secretary. Suggests to me that he wasn't really under much stress at all. Possibly because other people were doing the actual work.

Very possible, though I think Johnnie Lyle has hit it. Everything I've seen of Boris fits the type, of which I've known a few.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Oh, I dunno. Boris Johnson don't seem to look much different from the day he became Foreign Secretary. Suggests to me that he wasn't really under much stress at all. Possibly because other people were doing the actual work.

Very possible, though I think Johnnie Lyle has hit it. Everything I've seen of Boris fits the type, of which I've known a few.

To some extent, we want that - nobody wants a surgeon who is crippled by self doubt. But we don’t want to be operated on by Frank Burns; though, being frank, Frank Burns is a vastly better doctor than many of our elites are at their jobs.

[Zen9]

Oh, I dunno. Boris Johnson don't seem to look much different from the day he became Foreign Secretary. Suggests to me that he wasn't really under much stress at all. Possibly because other people were doing the actual work.

Very possible, though I think Johnnie Lyle has hit it. Everything I've seen of Boris fits the type, of which I've known a few.

To some extent, we want that - nobody wants a surgeon who is crippled by self doubt. But we don’t want to be operated on by Frank Burns; though, being frank, Frank Burns is a vastly better doctor than many of our elites are at their jobs.

Right now Homer Simpson would be better and more professional!