To feel a bit of sadness to see looks gradually fading

[Maisyblue]

Just that really, I wonder if we all take it for granted when we have young fresh faces. I can remember when looking in the mirror first thing in the morning before putting makeup on wasn't an unpleasant sight. Now it's a bit of a scary sight. Also it gets longer to get ready now to look half decent. Isn't it a bit sad to see the face that was once young and glowing slowly start to fade.

I have aged a lot in the last seven years (looking at photos recently.) is that normal?

have struggled with it and find it hard to make the effort

does not help underlying illness I have gained weight and I am puffy I have not aged well

but saying that at times not getting unwanted attention makes me feel safer I can walk past a group of men without feeling intimidated before I would always feel anxious

and I now realise I have a lot more to offer which is quite sad that I was not aware of it before

I work for an older people's charity and at 35 I am a young girl to them

Personally I don't mind the looks fading so much - I don't dress like I'm middle aged (tho not mutton dressed as lamb mind) and I dye my hair so I don't feel I look 57 (not usually anyway).
However my knees make me feel like I'm even older. And the related muscular pain and inability to stand up for more than 15 minutes or walk for more than half an hour.
And that's what pisses me off.

I have no problem with most of the changes that are happening to my face. They're inevitable, after all. And, since I don't wear make up, I have no need to worry about keeping it appropriate to my 44yo and ageing skin.

I did notice, in the sunlight, today, that the beautiful downy hair around my jawline was half an inch long, in front of my ear, on one side, though. I'm growing lopsided sideburns!

I know elastamum when you hear things like that it puts things into perspective.

And with you on the pain thing. alsmutko. Big time, today :(

I'm not normally easily rattled but was quite upset when I was referred to a pain clinic by my physio and, never mind the patronising questionnaires about whether or not I was taking my medication, the bloody thing was to be held in a geriatric day care unit. The only possibilities also coincided with school chucking out time, so I politely (though probably with a catch in my voice) declined. I guess that mothers of young children aren't supposed to live with pain.

ShakeYourTailFeathers

yes!!!! old men fancy me, pensioners. If I split with DP I fear I would never ever ever pull again

at least I made the most of my young attractive days complete slut

Yanbu.

I think I peaked at 7 and then went through my awkward stage from 8 til 17. Then I was sort of hot.

Now, nope. Whenever I get complimented by someone other than DH I wonder if they're drunk.

ouryve
do try the pain clinic if you can. Didn't do much for me long-term but was worth a try and helped a bit.

I have a lopsided beard - a few hairs on my chin which are longer than all the rest - what's that all about?

Doesn't bother me, but then I've never been bothered about my looks to start with and never did makeup.

I remember being a size 8 and always worried about my looks when I was early 20s. At 46 I'm no longer a size 8 but I'm bloody happier than when I was early 20s even with a few wrinkles. I think it's a confidence thing.

It is sad, but I bet in 10 years time you'll be looking back at how you are now and thinking how great you looked and why on earth you didn't appreciate it at the time.

It's like a cruel joke that confidence tends to come with age, but looks definitely don't.

Why can't Nature give us both at the same time? We'd have the time of our lives!

Wouldn't it be amazing if, on our 60th birthdays, we could look and feel as we did when we were 25. Just to make sure we appreciated it, we'd all look and feel our natural 65 when we got to 65. How fabulous would those 5 years be!

That would be an awesome time to have looks and confidence, Music. You're more likely to have a decenter amount of disposable income by then, kids have grown up, and you have worldly knowledge and interests aren't pissing away time

I think I want that even more than Hogwarts now as my fantasy thing to come true

I know phonebox, we should get a bit longer at having the youthful looks, how awesome if we didn't peak till about 60 but have all the wisdom that comes with age.

That glow of a young face! nothing compares.

Well, I've always had good feet and they still look pretty youthfuI! I was a very pretty young child, but I'd grown out of it by 10/11 and become what I'd call plain. So, I've never really worried about losing my looks and just tried to make the best of what I've got. I'm content with myself; I look OK for 67. I do try to dress with a bit of style and originality, without looking like an elderly sheep in lambs' clothing. I'll never wear 'old lady' clothes!

You go through a phase of having to face up to aging. Depending on genetics and how devoted you were to tanning, the stage arrives anywhere from the mid-30s on. The key is: and dont get stuck in this as a permanent state. Don't ADD to your cosmetic and hair routines. Subtract. The simpler you go, the less stagey and fake it looks, and honestly, the younger. Go for 'good looking for (age)' rather than trying to maintain a certain age via cosmetics. No matter what anyone tells you, it looks fake, and that itself is aging.

Keep taking care of yourself, or get started. Maintaining posture and having good bloodflow to keep your complexion healthy will take off years, and not having a gut that looks like your due date is approaching helps too. (Looks at belly, ahem)

Don't read the daily fail today then. There's an article saying that 22 is the peak of a woman's attractiveness and anyone over the age of 22 shouldn't bother dating because all the men they surveyed from 20-50 all thought a woman of 22 was the most attractive (whereas the women increase the age of the man they went for as they themselves became older).

All nonsense of course. But interesting.

I think it's worse when you've got young children. You spend so much time with them, looking at their beautiful skin and sparkling eyes, then when you look in the mirror the contrast is utterly depressing!

Fairy that applies to DH's friend certainly! Nearly 50 & only fancies women in their teens & twenties he's sad & lonely

Ffs you lot - cheer up! I'm 55 and facing some fairly unpleasant surgery but not ready to throw the towel in on looking good yet!
As others have said, whatever age you are, it's better than the alternative!