We love Susan Boyle — not only for her talent, but because she looked frumpy and scruffy and ruddy and said she didn’t care how she looked and neither should anyone else.  That was great, and empowering to those who aren’t obsessed with plucking and brushing and coloring and staining and dieting and on and on.

Of course, it couldn’t last. The woman behind the beautiful voice that rocked the world on Britain’s Got Talent has had a makeover. We knew it couldn’t last. An instant-celeb like Susan couldn’t stay as she was. Someone had to convince her to change.

At least she didn’t go for the all-out makeover, just a bit of spiffing up: a haircut, a weed-whacker taken to those bushy brows.

Now, with today’s release of the paperback version of Charla Krupp’s best-seller, How Not to Look Old, we are reminded of our universal fear of aging. In other countries, elders are revered. Here, we want them to hide, or go to great lengths to stay blonde, tweezed, thin and frozen at some earlier age. Maybe 39.

We admit, however, that Ms. Krupp is spot on with her nine tips for Ms. Boyle to improve her appearance. Her suggestions:

1. The eyebrows, of course. Keep them shaped, close to your hair color (not gray).

2. Color your hair — go lighter and add some soft highlights

3. See a dermatologist. Those ruddy cheeks could be due to rosacea, which is easy to treat.

4. Buy a creamy, liquid foundation (and don’t use powder).

5. Wear light pink lipstick. Dark colors make you look older.

6. Hike up that skirt. Mid-calf looks dowdy, so shorten it to the knee.

7. Wear higher heels.

8. Lose weight instantly with a pair of those high-waisted shapewear undies.

9. Get a new bra!

10. Wear more fitted clothes.

Ms. Krupp has launched a blog on her Web site, and tells us that the paperback edition has a lot of new product recommendations, and updated salon listings. Despite our stance on not tampering with Susan Boyle, we are thinking there might be a few useful suggestions in the book. You can buy it from several sources, and it’s about $10.

Photo of Susan Boyle from The Times Online.

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