When Did Ageing Become Such a Bad Thing?

Veruschka, Lauren Hutton, and Isabella Rossellini by Steven Meisel for Vogue Italia December 1988

I honestly can’t stand those cosmetics that try to label themselves as “anti-ageing”, and even more so when it comes to those plastic surgery advertisements common in Asia that promise to turn back the clock (skin-whitening is another issue here, but I’ll blog about that some other time). 

Since when did ageing become such a bad thing? And why would products market themselves as “anti-ageing” when ageing can’t be stopped in the first place? It’s a totally natural process that we all go through eventually. Every living thing ages, so I just don’t understand why our society puts so much pressure for older people, especially older women, to look younger. 

There’s nothing wrong with having wrinkles and grey hair. We are all going to go through that whether we like it or not. The problem is how the media influences us into thinking that being “old” is not something positive. Shouldn’t we be celebrating being old since it means living a long life? It’s ironic how people don’t want to grow old, yet they also don’t want to die young. There’s no in between! 

It’s one thing to wear sunscreen and moisturise daily to keep your skin healthy, which in turn, prevents wrinkles, yet it becomes problematic once you start stressing out about having wrinkles. It’s even worse when people resort to drastic plastic surgery in order to “preserve” their youthful skin. Often it just ends up making them look worse. In my opinion, people who just effortlessly go through growing old often end up looking the most beautiful. I think it’s because they’re the ones who feel the most calm and relaxed, and are happy and content with what they have.

It’s very cliché, but I truly believe that it’s happiness and a positive outlook in life that makes a person beautiful. It’s not about how flawless your skin is or how perfect your hair is, but how your attitude is like because that becomes reflected on the outside as well. 

There’s no point in stressing out about ageing, because it’s an inevitable process that we will all undergo as time goes by. So don’t worry about how you look, just continue to live your life and enjoy every single second of it. 

Photo courtesy of Strip Project