To think women would be happier in their own skin if they weren't continually told how crap that skin was

[CaraBosse1]

Same applies to body, hair etc

I know everyone on MN claims to look at least 10 years younger so I am that rare beast who thinks I probably look my age - 54. And that wouldn't be a problem if we weren't continually given the message that lines and wrinkles are A Bad Thing. No they're not- some if us will get them even if we avoud the sun , follow a skin care regime, don't smoke and drink plenty of fucking water.

It's a natural part of ageing for some of us. But I think the pressure is worse nowadays because of Botox, fillers, whatever being - if the media is to be believed, commonplace. I just don't want to be made to feel shit about myself.

End of rant for now

I do look younger than I am, I'm 32 and I am often Id'd when buying alcohol, I'm sure it's because I still get acne, if I stopped dying my hair they would see the grays. I am not happy with my skin though as I have the acne and my face is covered with scars and enlarged pores from it. I don't tend to wear make up often as I hate the way it feels on my skin and it tends to make the acne worse, plus i dont have a clue how to apply it peoperly. I think id prefer some fine lines to the craters left on my skin.

YANBU. I wear make-up (including foundation) every day. I do it because (to me) my skin looks pale, washed out, uneven in tone and a bit blemished.

In my rational mind I know that my skin is perhaps a bit less nice than average, but it's certainly not terrible and looks fairly young for my age. If I were a man of my age (46), I would not be even considering camouflaging my face in this way unless I had terrible scarring or something.

Some women seem to love buying and applying make-up. I've had phases when I've been quite sucked in by it as a desirable product. But really I think it would be much better for women if, like men, we'd never been conditioned to think we need it.

OP
I agree

I don't know the company name and wouldn't want to give them publicity but in London there's a surgery place with a big picture of a woman's face and arrows pointing to all the things they would change. It's tragic.

Also when I pop to a shop for hand cream or something I am stunned at how much make up there is - but I can see people wearing several layers of it and in some cases the contouring is such that I have no idea what their face looks like under there. I realise that's the point, but I am willing to bet their natural face is fine.

Women have always been made to feel bad about the way we look and it’s usually other women doing it!

YANBU the cosmetics industry spends literally millions every year to convince us we look shit.

I am always stunned to find anyone who thinks that none of this advertising works, that we all the shit feelings are self induced, or that anyone would spontaneously decide that injecting shit into your face was a good idea.

Advertising works. That's why companies whose entire goal is to make money are prepared to dump huge amount of cash into it.

I've been thinking about women I know and so few of them have a healthy relationship with cosmetics....

In fact I can think of one. She doesn't wear any cosmetics at all on a day to day basis, except every once in a while (at random as far as I can tell) she puts on ALL the make up. False eyelashes, extreme multicoloured eyeshadow, strange stuck on jewels - the whole business.

If she were to tell me she only wears make up for fun, I would actually believe her.

I admire my 47 YO pal -lush long grey/white hair, says people think she looks older than she is, wrinkles on face but very much an outdoor superfit type with bags of energy, very clever at a lot of things. She does not give a flying toss what people think of her.

I find that most women I have known between 21 and 30 skin wise look the same. Generally it the way the hold themselves, confidence and fashion that gives a sense of age. I think I look my age now but before 30 I would probably not be able to age my own photos of myself.

I genuinely look younger but i'm mixed race. I've always had a strict skin routine, i protect in the sun but i have smoked for 40 years.
The last month i've let the routine go and washed my face with soap, no moisteriser. My skin looks no different.
I'm 54 and i'm getting bored of all the beauty stuff -maybe the boredom is part of the ageing process?

I seem to not see this advertising. I don't read women's magazines, I don't watch much TV that has advertising, they don't allow billboards in my state...

I genuinely can't remember the last time I saw an ad for makeup or a skincare product. Maybe I have seen them but I just glaze over? Maybe it's related to the ads I've chosen to click on online so far? I don't know.

I don't wear makeup and I use very few skincare products (moisturiser and deoderant, sometimes a body lotion). A lot of the smells or chemicals in most skincare products either give me a migraine or make my skin feel weird. I hate the feel of makeup on my face.

I don't think I look particularly wonderful or awful. I just look like... me.

I do look younger than I am, I'm 32 and I am often Id'd when buying alcohol

The thing is, this really doesn’t mean anything. I’m 33 and I look 33. I get ID’d for alcohol all the bloody time. And when buying a pack of steak knives last week. People glance at you, need to cover their backs, so they ask.

Oh and I don’t really wear make up. Some BB cream, highlighter and mascara if I’m going out somewhere special, otherwise none.

Yeah blackberry, I've worked in a supermarket and they're so hot on making sure you don't serve anyone underage you get scared and ID loads of people, I once IDed a 36 year old! Felt silly but was better than being sacked and the shop being fined. In my view anyone who wants to buy age restricted products should carry ID unless they're blatantly over fifty.

So it's not just being IDed that makes me think I look younger than my age, it's that combined with the many comments, sometimes from people with something to gain sure (like hairdressers flattering you) but often from people with nothing to gain who can end up sounding a little rude, such as new colleagues at work when we're talking about the role and my past jobs and they (21 usually) sound a bit confused then ask my age, I tell them I'm 29 and they can't believe it as they assumed I was only a year or so beyond them.

I genuinely won't mind when I do look my age and wouldn't care if I already did, I'm not one to be touchy about ageing or dread birthdays and don't see it as an insult to be older btw!

Advertising works. That's why companies whose entire goal is to make money are prepared to dump huge amount of cash into it.

Yep. I'm amazed that anyone can really believe they are immune to or unaffected by advertising or media images. It's not only total mugs who see a specific advert, believe every word and rush out to buy it who are affected by advertising. It's subtle and it's everywhere. Our feelings about ourselves, about other people and about things are constantly nudged by images created for that very purpose. Unless you live in a remote hut with no access to media, you are not even vaguely immune.