Last Friday, unemployed women of a certain age lined up outside Reveal clinic in Arlington, VA to receive free injections of Botox to help smooth their fine lines and keep them job interview ready.

At first glance of the article in the Chicago Tribune, I chuckled a bit and envisioned these ladies with resumes in hand forming a queue to be among the first fifty to arrive and receive painful facial injections gratis. I thought it not a very feminist choice for these working women to put so much emphasis on appearance, certainly not the best message to send to their daughters.

But upon reading their quotes and concerns and giving it a little thought, I no longer found it funny but practical and also a bit sad that such aesthetic and cosmetic techniques are not only deemed desirable but requisite to put a mature woman’s best foot forward.

One recipient of the treatment, Colleen Delsack, was quoted as saying, “Age is a handicap.”

Delsack’s home has gone into foreclosure in the 18 months since she lost her job as an account executive with a printing and document-management company.

“There’s so much competition and we’re up against kids coming out of college and not making the salaries that we’ve had,” she said.

Ageism is certainly a very real issue and one that’s only exacerbated by the recession.

I’ve touched on ageism a bit recently in a column on the qualities that employers look for in a digital executive. The skills and qualities I heard pop up again and again from those I interviewed described a member of a younger generation, a technologically savvy and utterly post-modern candidate.

When desired skills sets seem to cater to a younger crowd, it’s no wonder appearance has become an even larger issue for an older set of pavement pounders.