Crowâs feet, smile lines, turkey neck, sagging skin – wrinkles. Something to be observed, monitored, prevented and fixed, but why? Wrinkles are a natural part of the aging process and yet this inevitability is feared and fussed over by many.
From childhood, girls (in particular) are conditioned to believe that getting older is something to fear. Childrenâs films demonise aging women, casting them as wicked witches, cruel stepmothers and unlikeable outcasts, while heroines are almost always young, rarely older than 25. Growing up, magazines glorified youthful appearances, and pop stars barely out of their teens lamented their fleeting innocence. Overall the message was clear: youth was the ultimate currency.
The only glimmer of hope offered to us lies in the sparkling adverts claiming to hold the for-sure way to forget our wrinkle worries: an army of creams and practices stands between us and perfection. Once a concern primarily for maturing women, the pressure to fight visible aging now affects women of all ages. Even as a tween, I felt pressure to preserve my youth. My teacher once advised my class to start using anti-aging products at 21 as a âpreventative measureâ. We nodded solemnly, tucking away that piece of wisdom for our future selves, the fear of wrinkles already creeping into our consciousness.
Social media and advertisements are flooded with women meticulously following 12-step skincare routines, involving a host of products including (but not limited to) LED facemasks, skincare wands, frownies, straws to prevent mouth wrinkles, chemical peels, face tape, floatation tanks, and botox. Rather scarily, a lot of these products are pushed not only by influencers but medical professionals, promoting injectables and chemical peels under the guise of healthcare.
Worse yet, much of this simply does not work. Preventative botox, for example, has little to no evidence proving its effectiveness at dealing with lines yet to be formed. Many modern techniques are so new that their long-term effects â especially when used from a young age â remain unknown. In short, women are sacrificing their health for products and procedures likely to be ineffective, victims of an industry preying on insecurity.
It might seem that there has been some push back against antiaging culture, with recent trends promoting the new idea of âaging wellâ, but even this comes with its own set of pressures. The new Anti-Age Magazine, for example, pushes âbeauty medicineâ and âsuccessful aging,â turning the natural process of growing older into a competition in which some are successful and graceful and others re lazy and declining.
Of course, privilege plays a role in who gets to âage wellâ. Cosmetic procedures may be more accessible than ever, but the reality is that high-quality treatments come with a hefty price tag. With 2/3 of injectables being administered by non-medical professionals, the risk of botched results is higher than ever.
But, looking at the broader picture, what does this antiaging message do to women? Media and advertisements will have us believe that skincare and procedures can be âempoweringâ, but how can this aesthetic-centred ideology truly be liberating? In The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf highlights a paradox: despite having more freedom, rights and financial power than ever, women continue to funnel their energy into aesthetics, focussing on beauty routines that often bring more stress than joy. Instead of embracing our power, weâre distracted by analysing the reflection in the mirror, leaving us unfulfilled and insecure.
It is time to reframe our understanding of aging: aging is not a curse â itâs a privilege. I often see influencers and magazines say, âaging is inevitable,â but thatâs not true. Aging is a gift not afforded to everyone. If anything, we should count ourselves lucky to continue growing, learning, and experiencing new milestones. The older women in our lives can prove that aging doesn’t have to be something scary, but an exciting process necessary to see what happens next! Ageing doesn’t diminish the worth of these women, but amplifies the depth of who they are, the wisdom they have accrued, and the resilience they have maintained. Wrinkles are a byproduct of a life well-lived, and our faces should reflect our stories.
For those who have lost loved ones too soon, the idea of wasting away our precious time worrying is heartbreaking. If given one more day on this earth, would they spend it scrutinising stupid lines on their face? Or would they go out and collect memories not moisturisers?
This reframing can be freeing, allowing us to take the pressure off aging as a ticking clock to be dreaded and granting us permission to the beauty in it. As Mark Twain said, âDo not complain about growing old. It is a privilege denied to many.â Instead of chasing eternal youth, letâs be excited of whatâs to come.