Why Anti-Ageing is Impossible: Celebrate Your Age with Confidence

I have worked in the beauty industry for almost 40yrs and I’ve lost count of the number of women who’ve sat in my chair ready to have their hair & make up done and said

“Just make me look 10yrs younger”

Why do we say this? Was there a magical time a decade earlier when we looked in the mirror and went “ Oooh Gurl I like what I see!” … It’s unlikely!

What is likely is that as children we were told stories about wicked old women, witches, and crones, then as we grew older and perused the skincare aisle we would have cast our eyes over shelves labeled ‘skin regeneration’ ‘youth enhancing’ and ‘anti-ageing’.

Anti-ageing has become so ingrained in our language that we rarely question what that means.

Now, I get “Anti” many things, war, animal cruelty, discrimination, there’s a list of anti’s I can get behind for sure.

To be anti expresses opposition to or against a particular practice, party, policy, or action.

But for the love of all things chocolate - how on earth can we be opposed to AGEING?!

Opposed to the passing of time and the effects on our bodies.

First and foremost … It’s a privilege… and as a lover of life, and having a few friends who didn’t survive to see their 40th birthday - it sure beats the alternative.

Secondly … how we age is a largely personal choice but there’s little point in being ‘anti’ it whether you choose to hold onto youth or sit in acceptance of your wrinkles and your diminished elasticity.

The concept of anti-ageing is hardly new with Cleopatra bathing in donkey milk to preserve her youth and beauty, there must therefore have been

some messaging even two thousand years ago that these qualities had value.

And we know that the beauty industry has been the loudest advocate of this same message as we’ve been bombarded with it for decades

Youth is beauty

Youth is valuable

Youth is fertile

Youth is energetic, flexible, fun, and confident.

Even watching Logan’s run as a kid I learned that you’ve got till 30 before your ‘time runs out’ and off you pop to sanctuary (Go look it up kids!)

It’s no wonder we’re trying to avoid ‘getting old’ just invert the above messaging to discover what is lurking in our belief system.

• Old is ugly

• Old has no value,

• Old is dried up, worn out, sad and bitter.

(But fear not we have a cream for that!)

Personally, I love Pamela Anderson’s take on ageing as lifeing, embracing who we are here and now.

There is a freedom in this, a freedom in letting go of those old beliefs, switching them up for new ones, seeing yourself as a woman who’s done some

amazing lifeing, and has stories and wisdom to share.

Once we move away from the understanding that our only value is in remaining young we can start to look at the depth and beauty to be discovered in growing old.

I mean, was the old woman who lived on her own in a cottage the woods, really a wicked ole witch or was she just tired of everyone’s shit so took herself off with her cat to live happily every after.

Just another point of view.