The Older Women Get, the Younger They're Expected to Look.

Mickey Monroe
2 hours ago
3 min read

The fashion and wellness habits of 2000s magazines are back in force, pressuring women to be unnaturally thin and to use Botox to battle the visible signs of ageing. These standards have reappeared after almost a decade of the industry becoming more inclusive and kinder to both models and consumers. So why are intelligent and successful women now going to such lengths to look much younger than they are, and can something be done about it?

Comedian Nikki Glaser, 42, makes a point about cosmetic surgery and looking younger in her comedy sketch Good Girl, where she explains that she's getting a facelift because she'll be on TV more, be given more opportunities, and look amazing while doing it.

The point Glaser makes is something a lot of women will relate to: reading the room, recognising how youth-obsessed the media and public attitudes have become, and not wanting to feel ashamed of your appearance. Artificially changing your appearance to seem younger becomes associated with fulfilment and success.

This connection is easy to see, especially when successful actresses like 63-year-old Demi Moore are also utilising cosmetic surgery to look younger. Moore appeared at the Cannes Film Festival with raised cheekbones and a wrinkle-free face, striving to look younger despite already being one of the most successful actresses of our time.

Even younger actresses and models are fighting to look years younger than they are. Singer and actress Ariana Grande, for example, has sparked widespread discussion about unhealthy beauty standards due to her noticeably slimmer appearance and openness about cosmetic procedures. Grande is only 32 and has admitted to getting fillers, Botox, and other cosmetic treatments.

When your worth is equated with your beauty, it's the easier option to conform to societal standards and reap the rewards of desirability and respectability. For women in the public eye, desirability is often connected to power, making it feel as though our value is directly tied to our appearance. But when does this process stop? At what age, or at what point in your life, do you stop trying to fight against ageing, the most natural process we have? So, should we challenge this growing obsession with youthfulness, cosmetic surgery, and anti-ageing? What can be done about it?

Plastic surgery and the fear of ageing feed into an older narrative that women are only considered worthwhile when they are young and mouldable. Given how much money it costs to maintain these beauty standards, and the amount of effort they require, the whole process feels deeply unnatural. Botox, for example, paralyses the muscles in your face, limiting your ability to smile and express natural emotion.

What we can do, collectively, is create a new room and remind ourselves of our power and our achievements. You do not have to hang up your dancing shoes the second a wrinkle appears. Women, young and old, need to care less about what their appearance says about them and more about the message they are sending to their communities and the people around them.

What I have learned throughout my life is not to fear age, but to embrace it gracefully and allow yourself to live without the pressure to conform. I still feel young at heart and refuse to let my age define or restrict me. Almost twenty years after leaving the modelling industry, I returned as an older model with a lifetime of experience behind me, after raising three children, building my career, and travelling the world. The trick is to embrace your age instead of fearing it.

Say no to the narrative that our worth is equal to how attractive a magazine or critic says we are, because what truly matters is how content and confident we feel within ourselves. That feeling comes from letting go of the societal standard that says you cannot look as old as you are, that you cannot naturally reflect the beauty of your years, your wisdom, your experiences, and your stories.

I believe the real beauty of life lies in living well, being healthy, and feeling vital, which is why I encourage women to embrace a lifestyle of mindfulness, freedom, and grace.

No matter your age, you can still be successful, powerful, and leave a lasting positive impression on the people around you, whether that's your friends, your children, or your local community. In the same way women have been influenced to embrace cosmetic surgery, they can also be influenced to reject it. By saying no to these societal pressures and choosing to embrace ageing at every stage of life, you show others that they don't have to conform either.

This is how we create a new narrative. One that embraces every stage of life and cherishes the wisdom and grace that come with age. A connected and contributive life is the most beautiful way to live, and it doesn't need to conform to any beauty standard.