“Daily Mail” named 63-year-old Hugh Laurie “the sexiest TV doctor ever”. “Esquire” wrote about 55-year-old Mads Mikkelsen, praising his high cheekbones and charismatic visuals. “Cosmopolitan” released the whole article about “hot 56-year-old Keanu Reeves on the beach”. Meanwhile, 56-year-old ( obviously, not that hot anymore) Sarah Jessica Parker is “bravely fighting with age” on the pages of the same magazine. What’s wrong with a “youth cult” and why women are still ashamed of being old?
It’s naturally and understandably scary to age, but women have to get through ageing walk of shame, even if modern life is not just about reproduction possibilities. Cover your wrinkles. Hide your neck. Color your grey hair. Have an elastic body. Don’t smile too much, don’t squint too hard, don’t go out in the sun. And don’t expect to find a job or a partner if you are older than 45. Half of these “advises” I’ve already heard by the age of 16 and every time I’ve asked myself a simple question. Am I still a human or an ancient vase that needs to be preserved at all costs?
The median age of EU’s population is 44 years old. Still, “youth cult” is a commercial necessity. The fashion industry is making a lot of money on young, fresh faces, or not-so-young but “made fresh” women’s faces. No wonder age is not considered attractive among us when models aged 15 to 30 are everywhere. Can you think of 5 advertisements for any brand involving an older woman? Me neither.
At the same time, I can name 10 advertisements for high-end, luxury brands with older men. Because 50+ for men is hot and charismatic, right?
Needless to say, my father never covered his wrinkles or grey hair. And here I am coloring my mother’s roots every month because she is too self-conscious to even show up in public “unkempt”. But what’s unkempt about my mom’s age? Why this highly-respected woman with tons of life experience has to be defined just by her forehead wrinkles or grey hair?
It’s okay to have a fun, youthful spirit at any age. You can show off your body at 64 like Madonna. You can rock your grey hair like Sarah Jessica Parker. Don’t be ashamed of natural processes in your body. Women are alive, real humans and they don’t owe you never-ending pleasing looks, because we are actually allowed to age.
Arina Chernukha
Photo: Pexels, Andrea Piacquadio