From Ageism to Ageless: Redefining Beauty and Wellness in Later Life
If there is one thing as certain as the passage of time, it is the evolution of the body. Physical changes are inescapable – over the years, your body will adapt and adjust to your environment and lifestyle. It can be difficult for older people to feel more in tune with beauty standards, leading to a near-endless search for a remedy to aging that will allow them to not only feel good for an extended period but look good as well.
Though media and cultural influences can make aging feel like a detriment to beauty, you don’t have to subscribe to this thinking to maintain beauty and wellness as the years go on. We’ll explore how ageism affects beauty perceptions and standards, along with ways we can effectively redefine what it means to appear and truly be beautiful and healthy as you age.
Ageism’s Impact on Body Image and Beauty
Nowadays, being perceived and receiving feedback on your appearance and health can be somewhat inescapable. Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok connect folks of all ages with individuals across the world, leaving room for criticism or access to nearly unattainable beauty standards that greatly affect body image and the social acceptability of aging. Hollywood continues to perpetuate ageist stereotypes in television and film as well, with many older folks feeling ill-represented across various forms of media. This visibility – or lack thereof - also gives way to new products and near-predatory marketing tactics aimed at “fixing” concerns that do not adhere to the permanently youthful and fresh beauty standard that is so prevalent across these platforms.
This hyperfixation can make older people, and women, in particular, feel as if aging in a visible way is wrong or socially harmful. Many women feel the heat when it comes to following beauty trends and being seen as attractive, with 22% of women over 50 years old experiencing pressure to adhere to beauty standards, which often emphasize a youthful appearance.
In fact, the anti-aging sector of the beauty industry is booming, reaching a value of $62 billion as of 2021, with products like retinol dominating the market. Injectables like Botox, or other cosmetic procedures have become increasingly popular as well, with a report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons showing that the number of people seeking these procedures rose 19 percent from 2019 to 2022. Even though the pursuit of agelessness seems more accessible in the modern age, it is a standard that can be nearly impossible to keep up with.
The Downside of the Pursuit of Agelessness
While the desire to maintain beauty isn’t exactly harmful, attempting to stop or reverse the aging process can be an uphill battle that has a negative effect on your physical, mental, and financial health. Treatments like chemical peels can cause extreme burning or irritation, leading to long-term damage. Additionally, about one in six people who receive injectables like Botox experience adverse reactions, like muscle stiffness and flu-like symptoms. The more treatments you receive, the likelier you are to experience side effects.
Anti-aging treatments aren’t exactly cheap either. Injectables can cost $20 or more per unit, with common treatments like forehead Botox injections requiring around 10-30 units. Facials, laser treatments, and peels cost a pretty penny as well, often setting you back hundreds of dollars per session. To get the results you want, you’ll likely have to undergo multiple sessions as well. Since many people simply do not have the budget for this type of upkeep, agelessness is pretty inaccessible for the average person. With this in mind, the healthiest option for any individual is to reject agelessness and embrace the process and true beauty of aging itself.
Practices That Can Help You Embrace Aging
Affirming your beauty as you age requires a few extra steps. The key to truly embracing aging is to rewire your thinking about what is beautiful. Daily affirmations can help – take some time each morning or night to jot down a few things you love about yourself. The affirmations can also include the steps you are taking to become more confident in yourself as you grow older. Consuming media that aligns with this thinking can also inspire you to engage with this mindset more authentically.
Becoming comfortable and happy with aging is a process of unlearning and understanding. One of the biggest things you can do to gain confidence as you age is to focus on your health first. This means eating well and finding time for joyful movement, which can be in the form of dance, yoga, or other low-impact exercises. Next, you can give yourself the freedom to experiment with beauty and focus on beauty as a means of self-expression rather than suppression. Try a new makeup look, switch up your style, or even go makeup free. Do things with an emphasis on feeling good rather than covering up wrinkles, gray hairs, or other signs of aging.
Developing a self-care regimen that aligns with a healthy body image can work wonders. Japanese beauty regimens are a fantastic source of inspiration. This process involves consuming gut-healthy, fermented foods and antioxidant-rich beverages like green tea, along with using natural ingredients like rice and seaweed to heal skin damage and promote rejuvenation. Other factors include using meditative practices to create harmony with the mind and body, and enhancing your relationship with yourself so you can truly believe you are beautiful just the way you are.
Defying beauty standards can take strength and effort, but it doesn’t have to be a battle. Be sure to nurture your mind and body first with positive thinking and healthy practices, like plenty of rest, nutritional meals, and mediums of artistic expression. As long as you focus on finding joy and confidence over social acceptance, you’ll find wellness and beauty is achievable at any age.
