“Accepting Aging?”

~ Elizabeth

I keep running into the face on the left featured in ads for Cover Girl makeup. The woman pictured is in her 60’s and apparently it is “ground breaking” to feature a woman of her “advanced” age in a makeup commercial. When I first saw this photo filling a whole page in a magazine I shuddered. To me she looked frightening, not appealing. I felt immediately that I was supposed to be delighted that an older woman was a “Cover Girl,” but I felt anything but delighted. If the look was supposed to entice me to purchase makeup it failed. I have no desire to look anything like the woman(who, as it turns out, is Elon Musk’s mother.)

I found the image on the right at the website “unsplash,” which another blogger suggested as a site for royalty free images. The woman seems to be about the same age as the model, but to me she looks inviting and welcoming. Her wrinkles show the ways her face has aged, her brown spots reveal past sun exposure, her lips lack filler, her face is free of Botox, and her eyebrows show the thinning that comes with age. In other words she looks her age, and in this case I found her lovely not off putting. If she had been featured by Cover Girl how might I have responded? For one, I might like to know the color of her lipstick. It flatters her, rather than seeming at odds with her face.

Millions of older women in the United States have a little disposable income. Some of it could go to cosmetics, especially if they seemed aimed at how we actually look. Instead most ads seem addressed either at young women or women in their 40’s who apparently are terrified of looking “aged.” This so-called groundbreaking ad won’t reassure them.

And as a final thought. Which woman would you rather have as your grandmother? I know I am clear!

43 thoughts on ““Accepting Aging?””

  2. There are a lot of very articial looking celebrity faces around, both women and men. It still seems more prevalent to us in the Americans we see on TV, but it’s now becoming more common here too.

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  4. I can’t wear cosmetics, so I decided to try an at home remedy for age spots. It worked – sort of. Turns out the remedy wil also remove any tanning which left me with a comically streaked look. Sonetimes it is better to just accept yourself as you are!

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  5. The woman on the left is scary. The one on the right more like a warm friend, or much-loved relative.

    I agree that there are women who age very well without using surgery or cosmetic ‘enhancement’, and not everyone has the time or money to be able to buy expensive creams, hire a personal trainer, or spend a few afternoons a week at the beauty parlour.

    This lady is almost 79 now, and a well-known presenter on daytime TV here. She has never had surgery or botox, though she is rich enough to spend money on hair, make-up, and clothes. I think she looks lovely, and not remotely ‘scary’ 🙂

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/fame-fortune/gloria-hunniford-fraudsters-stole-120000-lost-trust-banks/

    Best wishes, Pete.

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    1. Oops, that sent before I was finished!
      Body Dysmorphic Disorder to be exact.

      There’s nothing wrong with growing older, having wrinkles or wobblies but it’s made out to to be ugly, disgusting & horrifying by all forms of media!
      I think age is beautiful & shows the story of a life. 😀
      Blessings,
      Jennifer

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  11. Lady on left looks robotic. Her smooth skin is at odds with the skin under her eyes which was, presumably, less easy to disguise and she looks as though her make-up might crack if she moved too much.
    Respect to her though, for putting herself out there in the high-octane environment of modelling (and under the critical gaze of her peers).
    I still moisturise, but I gave up daily make-up when I retired and only use it now on “occasions”. Even then, I think twice about mascara (which I once named as my “if you could only apply one cosmetic…”). I’ve become so used to rubbing or wiping my eyes (we live among fields…) that I’d probably forget not to with mascara on.
    Oh, the freedom of accepting your wrinkles.
    It’s the saggy bits I’d like to get rid of… 😦

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  13. I once had a young hairdresser suggest I use something on my hair to cover the gray. He said, “You have such a young-looking face.” I replied, “Then I need something that shows my age. Might as well be my hair.” And I think it’s a riot that silver hair is now all the rage among younger women. They’re paying good money to make their hair look like mine, and I’m supposed to pay good money to make my hair look like theirs. Who’s richer for this?

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  14. I also think that the woman on the left looks scary. In my opinion, women who are comfortable with themselves and how they naturally look are much more beautiful – wrinkles and all.

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    1. That is a very good point. Comfortable with themselves. That does make real beauty as I think about all the truly lovely women at church who would not be considered lovely by Cover Girl.

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  15. The woman on the right does look her age and quite grandmotherly. I expect the left hand image has been airbrushed to remove wrinkles and anything else that showed the models true age. I have seen untouched pictures of actresses and they have spots and skin flaws, despite heavy makeup, just like other people do.

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  16. The image on the left sort of looks like an android. One thing I have noticed that I find quite sad is so many of the younger women I know post their photos on Facebook with every single line and blemish “enhanced” out. First of all, their images don’t look like them! Their faces in these photos look flat and mask-like. I’m talking beautiful young women in their 20s and 30s here! So sad that they think they have to remove all the character from their faces.

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    2. I’d agree, if the photo had been for an article about our robotic future and our being overtaken by androids I’d have thought it suitable. Hopefully Elon’s mum looks less frightening when not made up

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  17. I like it when seasoned people wear their seasoning without apology. And if they seem approachable and have an inner light and realness – I LOVE that!

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  18. I am clear, too. So are the children in my classroom who ask questions and marvel at my many wrinkles, especially those on the neck and hands which are fun to pull.

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  19. A beautiful read 🙂 The model looks fake – heaven forbid she move her head too far in a different direction. Sad, today’s world is all about ‘looking younger’. I chuckle when I see some of the celebrities without their makeup – those OMG moments.

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