Many women have been fighting ageing as if it’s a battle, using anti-aging skincare to try minimise wrinkles, stocking up on collagen supplements, and reaching for the box dye at any sight of a grey hair. But the truth is, there’s just no stopping it, so why don’t we flip the narrative and embrace ageing rather than trying to reject it?
Many of our favourite celebrities are welcoming ageing, ‘pro-ageing’ if you will. A few of these celebrities include Jamie Lee Curtis, Andie MacDowell, Drew Barrymore and Kate Winslet. Actress, Julia Foxx, even sprayed the roots of her hair silver at the CFDA fashion awards last year. “This is a love letter to getting older. Yeah, we’re embracing getting older.” She stated proudly.
Men age ‘like fine wine,’ they get ‘salt and pepper hair,’ they grow more mature, develop dad bods… need I go on? Men supposedly gain value as they age. Whereas, if women don’t age ‘gracefully,’ they are discarded by the media. It’s almost as if there’s an invisible expiry date looming above our heads – Thanks patriarchy.
The media industry has encouraged impossible standards of beauty for far too long. With almost every photo we see (of models, actresses, singers, or any woman in the public eye) airbrushed to smoothen skin, brighten eyes, and whiten teeth, it’s not a surprise that celebrities who’ve had their appearance scrutinised their whole lives are speaking out and working to remove the stigma from feminine ageing.
The patriarchy has socially conditioned women to subconsciously believe that our worth is held in our beauty, and we are only considered beautiful when we are young – how bloody silly is that? In reality, the way we look is the least interesting thing about us. All of us. We are so full of passion and talent, knowledge, wisdom, power, inspiration, and strength. We can be soft or hard, we can be silly or serious, we can work hard and play hard. Women are very versatile, and completely capable creatures, and we are women.
With this being said, none of us are above using creams, supplements, or botox, and don’t look with judgement at those who have used them. This ageing trend is simply spotlighting what is truly important – that a woman’s value does not lie in her beauty or youth. It isn’t the external that’s important, it’s the internal. There is so much power in growing older that we should be looking forward to harnessing and using to our advantage. There are new experiences we are yet to gain, people we are yet to meet, stories to tell, and more kindness to be shared.
Unlike most trends, this ‘pro-ageing’ movement looks like it’s not going anywhere and it seems like it’s only going to get more intense. Healthy ageing truly is based on your attitude, not your appearance. So wear your age with pride, as not everyone is lucky enough to age. Those wrinkles by your eyes show years of laughter and love. The stray greys sprouting around your temples are a symbol of your wisdom – you earned them.
