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

Let's put it another way. Let's say I too have one child. Or as you would put it, 'just one child'.
Is that out of choice?
Maybe, maybe not. The point is, you don't know what the story is behind that and I'm certainly not about to tell you.
You don't know people's reasons and I think it's seriously off to bring something like that into an argument.

placements
I know that and I am perfectly aware of Lass's combative posting style. Her views do not always chime with mine.

I doesn't matter. We're all strangers on here. No matter how much or how little we reveal about ourselves the truth is that we know nothing of each other's personal circumstances or the reasons for them. And no matter how riled you are with someone, I think bringing in their personal situation in order to score a debating point is crossing a line.

Just think about it.

Apologies for repeating that comment - I was so gobsmacked I wasn’t thinking.

Ha. Feel free to name me Lass. You might as well. You've accused me of snearing before which implies hostility where I feel none. I choose to glorify makeup free women. I appreciate them and for me some of them are role models. If someone came on here to say they aspire to be like I dunno Julie Andrews or (insert name of stylish older woman here) I wouldn't have an issue with it. I guess I guess I expanded on the older woman theme by introducing the role model idea but I also have a personal view around makeup which I believe is a feminist view in that there is far too much pressure on all women to wear it.

You’ve never had a problem with men despite being in a lifelong relationship with just one son

I’m sure Lass is perfectly capable of looking after herself but can I just say, what the fucking fuck is that comment doing on here?

Personally I don’t choose my interests for their worthiness. I choose them cos I find them fun and engaging.

That said, I’m not a fan of the skincare - and particularly not of the anti ageing industry. There’s certainly a feminist discussion to be had about it. Sadly I can’t ever see it happening on here because whenever the subject comes up, there are always posters who simply cannot hide their disdain.

It's an article on older beauty bloggers - most of whom are women, yes (there are some gay men bloggers, though). Style blogs by men tend to focus more on clothes or accessories. If anything, the article is giving visibility to older women who like to blog about beauty.

To be honest, I find it hard to get worked up about this. The article isn't telling anyone to do anything. It's showcasing some women who are unusual in the beauty industry.

The same way if I posted that women should all wear jeans because dresses are shit and women should all be mountain climbing you would bristle and tell me that I was chatting shite.

Also, the defensiveness you see ("I don't like makeup etc") is a direct response to these articles.

If women are meant to be enthralled by other women wearing clothes and we are not enthralled, the implication is that we are the ones who have got it wrong. We have fucked up at womanhood. So yes, you will have posters rant about makeup and clothes because they've just once again been sold a load of gendered bollocks about what they should like.

The issue is not about makeup it's about only discussing women, because only women care about this sort of thing.

Even though actually, lots of us don't. That's not smugness it's merely pointing out the fact that having a vagina does not make you at all more likely to enjoy lipstick.

There are loads of male YouTubers who vlog about style and make up. Such is the hypocrisy of some FWR posters that one of them, John McLean had a whole thread devoted to how wonderful he is (which he indeed is)

Then Lass, don't you think he should have been included in the Guardian article? Isn't that the point I just made, and I believe the OP as well- and probably many other posters here.

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

Hear Hear.

Older men aren’t judged on their looks to the extent older women are though.

If half the bloggers were dapper older men showing off their tie collections this wouldn't be in FWR

There are loads of male YouTubers who vlog about style and make up. Such is the hypocrisy of some FWR posters that one of them, John McLean had a whole thread devoted to how wonderful he is (which he indeed is)

There are posters on this thread who have contributed nothing other than saying they have no interest in make up or how they look. Bully for them.

There are posters equate this with having wisdom and mental stature. The tone of some posts is far more patronising than the article being complained of.

Come on Lass, you know full well the point of the OP isn't that some women over 60 want beauty tips. It's that the article is about women only. Only women want to look nice in old age, only women have to worry about looks. If half the bloggers were dapper older men showing off their tie collections this wouldn't be in FWR

This is how it goes, every single time: fashion written off and belittled because it's seen as a women's interest

I'd rather go clothes shopping than rock climbing any time so sue me

It is written off not just as a women's interest but an interest for women who are a bit dim

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.

"Why shouldn't a 70 year old woman be interested in how she looks?"

I don't think anyone said they shouldn't.

I don't enjoy paying attention to my appearance so the time I have given it has been in response to social pressure. At the time I felt invested in it but I didn't like myself for it because I knew I wasn't being my best version of me; the me I wanted to be, at least not after my early twenties.

If I had been born male I would have been able to skip over all of that.

When will the Guardian be running articles telling 70 year old men how to groom their nose and ear hair?

Can they? Because whether or not a woman is wearing makeup makes no difference to me, but I'm not sure anyone enjoys seeing another person's nose hair.

If the same article was written about 70 year old male bloggers, what do you think they’d feature? Men’s fashion? The best moisturiser or how to style receding hair? No, it would be 5 men who go sailing, or skiing, or rock climbing. Doing stuff, not figuring out how to sit around looking more decorative.
Yes, well said.

For me, my 'beauty regime' consists of DON'T GIVE A SHIT.