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At what age can women look the age they are? Quote of the week from Suzanne Moore

— by Alyson Walsh

suzanne moore

Photo: Mumsnet

In a fantastic piece for the Guardian, journalist Suzanne Moore talks about the pressure to look a certain way and how this affects women and men of all ages and is ‘no longer confined to youth.’ Moore is a brilliant, no-bullshit, award-winning writer and she emphasizes the celebrity-driven focus on appearance rather than talent, ability or achievement – or information on the ageing process – on looking young rather than looking the age we are. The bit on menopause is ace:

‘We can’t know what’s best for us if we never talk about it. But the menopause remains embarrassing as it reveals the truth: we are ageing. Which is akin to dying, though is in fact the opposite of it. Where are the celebrity interviews that talk about medicating oestrogen depletion instead of the guff about good skincare regimes? Tell me, at what age can women look the age they are? Give me less advice on avoiding all that is pleasurable, from booze to sunlight, and more on how reading actually improves cognitive function. Tell middle-aged women that their rage is not an individual problem to be feared, it’s fuel for the fire of the next stage of their lives.’

This comes on the back of my flicking through a copy of Red magazine the other day, encouraged by the ‘Lessons in life and career’ cover line, only to find Jennifer Anniston’s was,’ I eat a lot of avocados.’ On a page entitled ‘The beauty secrets of Jennifer Anniston, aged 47,’ there was a cursory mention of ‘hair getting finer and changing as we get older’ but zero advice on what to do about it; and the most interesting pull-quote was one on Anniston’s avocado consumption. Really? In addition, a comment left on That’s Not My Age this week has given me the impetus to keep on creating honest, informative content and to really push what I’m doing with the site (hopefully with the wonderful words of Vicci Bentley and Elaine Kingett).

‘Thank you. The best of your posts communicate this, both a happy appreciation for our changing looks and a quiet (or not so quiet) f**k you to our culture’s ridiculous age-shaming.’

Just need to get this second book written, first. Read the full Suzanne Moore article HERE.

 

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In a fantastic piece for the Guardian, journalist Suzanne Moore talks about the pressure to look a certain way and how this affects women and men of all ages and is ‘no longer confined to youth….