By Claire Nurden
Research and Policy Officer
Apologies in advance for ranting about this! But is it any wonder
so many women resort to surgery? Two articles in the Daily Mail
this morning, one describing a 68-year-old, dare I say it, natural,
Jean Shrimpton as "grey-haired, prim, and almost severe", while the
other proclaims "Sexier than ever at 73", and plasters photos of
Jane Fonda's surgically enhanced face and body across the
page.
There are a hundred different issues here, but I'll try and keep
it brief. The first thing that springs to mind is how dangerous it
is for us to constantly uphold images of beauty in older age that
depend almost entirely on expensive, and invasive, surgeries to
hold back the years. But moreover, I have to ask, why are we so
ashamed about showing our age in the first place? What is everyone
so afraid of? It is sad to think that so often older people are not
judged by their achievements, but how effectively they have erased
the markings of the experience that makes them who they are. Lines
are simply the signs of having a life, and if we're lucky we'll
make it to our later years, so why deny it? If nothing else we will
save ourselves a huge amount of money.
Hmm I really hope I don't change my mind about all of this when I
get to 40...
