This is what 70 looks like - patronising shite about beauty in old age.

(Not very relevant but... the editor of US Allure magazine has banned the phrase anti-aging... she’s really into skincare but thinks the concept of anti-aging is so toxic and I agree :) )

Redford was the most beautiful man. I'm not particularly into "pretty boys" but some are so pretty you have to make an exception.

Yesh she has admitted to surgery. "admitted" like it's a crime! But she is from the sounds of it fed up of being asked about it. Good for her.

Jane Fonda admits to having plastic surgery. I'm not aware of any time that she has denied it. She recently refused to talk about it when asked, but that was because she was there to discuss her work, and she wanted to deflect the conversation away from her appearance.

Funny you should mention Redford. He was excoriated by the media for having the temerity to wrinkle as he aged. If he were not a wealthy white man with his own production company he would never have gotten another role. I understand he is retiring from acting at 81.

I agree with that. When an older woman is described as ‘looking good’ it’a always code for ‘looking young’. Doesn’t happen with men.
I really like how Vivienne Westwood looks. She still plays around with her face and hair and her clothes but never tries to hide her age.

The flushes would wake me up but then I just wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. So I'd be wide awake from say 2am until morning. I would often pass the time standing at the window, watching the sky and thinking about my own mortality. So that was fun! I'm still a much lighter sleeper and often wake up several times a night but I can get back to sleep pretty easily these days.

Was it because of the hot flashes that you couldn't sleep?

I wouldn’t say mine was tough - it was annoying more than anything. The worst thing was the sleeplessness - that really drove me nuts.

I blamed my weight gain on steroids I was prescribed until I realized it was more of a weight change because of metabolism change post menopause. Now I don't care very much except for a few favorite things that don't fit any more.

So far I've had a couple of what I think were hot flashes at night and that was it, really hoping it's not going to be a multi decade process! My MIL seems to have had a much easier menopause than my mum did, but it's my mum's genetics that I have so I'm assuming mine may be tough too.

It may not be standard but I don't think it's unusual. I remember a friend telling me she was still getting them after 10 years and being really shocked. And then the same happened to me. It wasn't 10 years continuously mind you - they came and went and there were a couple of times when I went months without one and thought I was through, only to have them come back!

This type of thread always has posters queuing up to say that it is no interest to them and how much they admire women who have no interest in this sort of thing.

I particularly like the sneering tone of high mindedness as if wisdom and mental stature, and the ability to make a contribution to society is only possible if one ignores this.

Pot, meet kettle! This is priceless.

Is that fairly standard in terms of hot flushes lasting that long? I remember my mother's menopause lasting a long time.

I'm several years past the menopause - early 60s. I'm sorry to have to tell you that my hair's getting thinner all the time.

I still get the occasional hot flush - that'll be 10 years now - but my sleeping is pretty much back to normal.

My face and body are getting quite saggy and, although I've only put on a couple of pounds, I'm a completely different body shape and when I do put weight on, it's much harder to lose it.

And on that note, for the curly hair that's gone a bit odd due to perimenopause, depending on how thick it is either Kerastase Oleo-Relax serum (if fine/doesn't react well to heavier products) or the Elixir Ultime (if thicker/hair reacts well the heavier products) can make your hair feel a bit less like you just stuck your finger in a light socket.

If anyone who's already been through the menopause could offer some insight on how long the whole everything's gone a bit different phase lasts that would be interesting info to have. Hairdresser said "a few years", which could mean anything from 3 to 10 I suppose.

@AngryAttackKittens

There's definitely stuff to do with ageing that we could talk about without it turning into some sort of product placement via shaming thing - these are natural processes that we're all going to experience sooner or later, nothing wrong with sharing tips on how we're managing the process.

Deffo this.

My hair has gone a bit weird too. It's so dry! Hairdresser confirmed that it most likely is hormonal and says it should sort itself out within a few years, but I can't say I'm enjoying this transition period

There's definitely stuff to do with ageing that we could talk about without it turning into some sort of product placement via shaming thing - these are natural processes that we're all going to experience sooner or later, nothing wrong with sharing tips on how we're managing the process.

I love makeup but never spend a penny on face creams as I think they are a massive con. I'm very happy with my face despite my age and I'm convinced my skin looks the way it does because I drink loads of water.
However, I noticed recently that the skin around my mouth has started to pucker very slightly now and I have slight lipstick bleeding. I always use quite bright colours so it's a problem. Coincidentally, I bought the 'never feather lip prime' from the company of the first woman mentioned in the piece - Lookfabulousforever - and it is marvellous.

As has been pointed out, the only reason there are now 70+ beauty bloggers is because women in this age group will spend a lot of money on beauty products. Bloggers are advertisers and nothing more. My MiL is 81 and has literally thousands of pounds worth of products in her bathroom. Thank God she's not into YouTube or you might not get through the front door.

The hair. Nobody told me about the hair thing.

I'm closer to 40 than 30 and clinically perimenopausal, because of surgery, and nobody told me my previously very thick, curly hair would become weirdly timid and flyaway (to the extent that my description of a good hair day is now 'whiskers on fleek!').

I like to look not mad, so grooming tips are mostly welcome.

"oh look, we're expected to look amazing even at 70!

I’ll be happy just to have a pulse.

If people write articles like this then people cry "oh look, we're expected to look amazing even at 70!"

If there are no articles like this then people cry "oh look, just because we're 70 we apparently don't give a shit about our appearance any more".

If it was about a group of 70 year old surfers I don't think people would be interpreting it as "pressure" or "expectation" to surf.

I think its a good thing that brands are encouraged to cater for an older market and create great products for people of all ages. Lots of women are interested in make up and looking good. It can be a helpful way to increase self esteem and mental health. It's not everyone's cup of tea, so what?