Young women spend most of their time comparing themselves to this level of beauty that they are unable to emulate, although they still spend a significant amount of time trying to reach this standard. It is only as they start to age, and acquire knowledge about themselves, that they can start to feel more comfortable in their own skin, and begin to care less about how others perceive them.
Older women have had time to get to know their own bodies; to work with what they’ve got, enhance their best bits, and conceal or camouflage the parts of their bodies they are self-conscious about.
More often than not they have learned to accept the things they cannot change about themselves, and so spend more time focusing on the things they can do to enhance their appearance.
They may have reached a point where they have tried out a range of different styles in terms of hair, clothing, and make-up, and found what works for them. They don’t necessarily feel the need to conform to the kind of youthful beauty propagated by magazines targeted at women under 40.
Women who have been on this planet for longer will have acquired more knowledge about themselves and about others from people with whom they have a close relationship to society at large. They know that fashions come and go and that ultimately the only person they have to please is themselves.
Who cares whether they fit into society’s notions of what a 40-plus woman should wear or look like if they are comfortable with themselves? It is probably harder for those involved in industries that rely on women staying youthful, such as in the acting world, but most ordinary women don’t have to contend with such pressures, as they are not continually expected to remain to look as though they are twenty when they are clearly not.
There are ordinary women, though, who do become obsessed with turning back the clock, and if they have the money choose to undergo all sorts of cosmetic procedures in order to conform to a younger standard of beauty.
They may have more knowledge about the limits of beauty, but if they feel uncomfortable with the way they are aging they might regard cosmetic surgery as a worthwhile investment, and don’t care either way about what others think about them. Surely that is the most important thing for individuals to learn that, in the end, it doesn’t really matter whether others think you are beautiful or not, as long as you are happy with yourself.
