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.

Oh yes DH is ageing better than me the bastard

He's all salt and pepper hair and crinkly eyes. I'm badger stripe and jowls.

Arse.

oh, good luck with that Marshy

No way, I was at my most attractive when I was 25. Photos attest to this fact. At 22 I still had the chubby cheeks of a 14 year old.

Then work stress and shitty skin made it all go downhill from there.

The skin on the side of my neck, where the tendons are, became noticeably thinner the week I turned 28. FFS. It's happening fast for me!

I have a different perspective since my children lost their father. I am glad I am getting to see myself age as he didn't even hit 40.

However, I know that probably won't last for long and I totally understand why it bothers others, but right now I am just glad to get to age.

I am quite lucky. I am 33 and genes are on my side. My almost 60 year old mother looks so very young and so do all the women in the family. I am ageing obviously but still look younger than my age.

I dyed my hair for years and got sick of it. I vowed not to dye it again until I started going really grey. Well the grey is coming in thicker now and they are starting to look very noticeable against my dark hair and they curl up to make themselves known. I don't think I have many years left until the hair dye will come back out.

Right now I don't find signs of ageing depressing, but a blessing. But like I said, who knows how long that will last! and when I start to age more I may change my opinion.

Thanks shake. Having a 2nd mastectomy with implant replacement so at least my boobs will be perky even if everything else is heading south!
Seriously, I know I'm coming at it from a very particular perspective but life can be sweet and beautiful whatever age you are

I feel a bit down about my looks. I still feel attractive but not the same "wow she's hot stuff" that I did when I was younger and that makes me feel sad. I don't want to be the pretty middle aged ish woman. I want to be the sexy omg doesn't she look FIT one. I can only do that if I go back to being between 18 and 28 really. That's when I started to look decidedly older.

I swing between caring a lot about it and trying to make an effort with myself and then not giving a flying fuck about how I look because I just look old anyway.... I'm 34 this year.

Good luck for your op marshy

I am 48. I actually got a toot from a white van man this week.

I cannot remember the last time I got one years ago and many may say sexist yada yada

It made my day as I am normally totally invisible; admittedly I was dressed up to go out not my normal bag lady appearance but it made me smile.

Thanks fairy and Mrs

It is all about perspective - enjoy and make the most of what you have while you have it. Not always easy, I admit

Thurlow like fuck do men grow into their age better than women! Most of the ageing chaps I know are fat, bald or both! The women are still shapely and stylish. It's just what men want you to believe.
I guess the whole ageing thing is about perspective. When I hear people on here who are younger than me saying they look old, I think "No! you are so young! appreciate it!" Similarly, I found a pic of me at 25 in a bikini, and wished I could have gone back in time and slapped myself silly for thinking I was a fat minger then, when clearly I was a dewy skinned sex kitten.
So, with that in mind, I will try to look at my thirty-blah-blah self, crows feet an all, from the perspective of my infinitely saggier and wrinklier 50 year old self.
Also, I often work with very young men, and I tells you, I have had more than my fair share of flirting (young maaaan) from them, so I'm not worried

I just don't understand threads like this, depressing!

I agree with a previous poster that it is about confidence, and personality!

What about Helen Mirren (who looks her age)? What about the many 40-something famous people who are still considered desirable and attractive? And I don't think it is just down to surgery or whatever treatments they may be having.

I think it is about not giving up and thinking like most of the posters on this thread!

I am 38, and while not the world's most confident person, I feel much more attractive now than I ever did, and I don't think I look old or even much oldER than before, although of course I must!

I never got that much attention when I was younger, but I seem to notice a lot more now, from men of all ages, from early 20s to pensioners, not joking!

I think my skin and hair are beautiful, my body is nice and most importantly, I feel my personality (while far from perfect) is interesting, if I may be so bold! I feel, perhaps for the first time in my life, that I could give almost any woman a run for their money, whether in the 20s or older.

And as time goes by, other things may come to matter more. I intend to invest more on my interests and not obsess about ageing - when there is nothing you can do about it!

Come on women, more confidence, please! Women of all ages have much to offer!

Until about a year ago, I really didn't look my age at all - I looked perhaps 10 years younger. Now I do. It's been horrendous, especially since I'm petite so I have this old lady's face on a young person's body. I never used to bother with makeup and it was fine because I didn't need it. I do now, but I don't know how to do it and in fact trying out one of those miracle face serum things has given me a cluster of spots that aren't going away. So now I have spots and wrinkles. Ghastly.

It's having children that has aged me. My face just looks older after 4 years of being pregnant and/or breastfeeding. It's done for my teeth too - hardly had any dental work done until after DC1 was born. And I noticed wobbly neck skin the other morning - when did that arrive?! Obviously the alternative is way way worse but it's a shock to look at yourself in the mirror and not see quite what you expected to see staring back at you!

I am 38, and while not the world's most confident person, I feel much more attractive now than I ever did, and I don't think I look old or even much oldER than before, although of course I must!
I felt pretty good at 38. I feel that 38-42 has been bad.

I also have noticed that my husband is way, way, way hotter than I am now. The mothers at school seem to kind of moon at him, frankly.

Marianne people are not saying they lack confidence though. I have bags of confidence; I am happier and more settled in myself than I've ever been, give less of a fuck, have more clue about what suits me than I ever did in my twenties. I wouldn't go back to being 25 if you paid me. Also I am thankful for every day of life after watching someone close to me die a premature and horrible death. Doesn't stop me sighing wistfully at the sight of my fat knees, before I stride out and carry on living like a boss.

I understand this to an extent but I also agree that a healthy dose of perspective helps keep most of the getting-older blues away. What's the alternative, after all? I'm 36, got my share of lines already, as well as grey hairs, but I exercise and consequently am in pretty decent shape, far more so than at any time in my twenties. Confidence in your own skin goes a long way - I always notice attractive older women and they all have that quality about them.

I'm 45 and i don't like what I see. It is shit, maybe a nip and tuck would do the trick. Was always against intervention (until the face started going south and I now resemble Charles Bronson!) but it has crossed my mind and I find myself pulling my face back when I'm in front of the mirror.

I agree with Giant.

I look at really young girls and feel wistful at their beauty, but likewise I know what lies ahead for them. Leaving school, establishing a career, getting married, having children, getting them to the point where your life is your own again - I couldn't do it again. I love my life and feel like it's still a mystery, and I'm still young enough to have zero health issues and to still find a lot of days pretty exciting. But I do not look as good as I did 5 years ago. That's all.

That's a very large club we could all form, I'm sure. Those who feel their looks are fading. I'm in.

I'm not!

I think I look great, and definitely not fading!

Never mind comparing yourself with how you looked when you were twenty - make sure you always look the best you can look today. You will never be this young again! In ten years time you'll look back at photos of yourself now and wonder what you were moaning about.

I'm a bloke.
I do look at photos of me over the past decade and it is depressing a reality check as to how my whole body is ageing/changing

I'll be 54 in a couple of months... I'm no looker, beer has taken its toll.

(I am certain that DP is more lovely that me)

Yep, thoroughly depressing.

2 pregnancies, stressful births and no sleep has taken it's toll. Badly.

I don't know really. I was looking through my holiday photos as I uploaded them on the computer and thought to myself Chicken you look good, happy , healthy, very nice hair and nice clothes. Obviously I don't look 25 coz I'm 45 but I know if I'm still around in 30 years time I will look at the photos and think I looked not to bad.