When did you accept your ageing?

[Idliketothankyouforajobwelldone]

I did mean to use your instead of you're!
I know if is better than the inevitable for sure, however I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to look one's best.
If you've aged, do you ever miss the way you looked when you were younger? Or do you prefer it now? Did you stop caring about your appearance as much or did you embrace it?
I think it's definitely harder for some than others, and ageism is rife.
It's something that I'm trying to accept myself and not resorting to endless procedures to retain my face! I know looks aren't everything but it's human nature to want to look good.
I did have a bit of a turning point yesterday though, I met an elderly woman in a care home who genuinely still had a very beautiful face. Fantastic bone structure, skin still pretty firm despite being over 80, lovely eyes and cheekbones, she could have easily been a model when younger.

Better than the alternative* i mean! I'm tired...

I accepted and accept ageing. Of course we still want to look our best, my mother who died suddenly at 86 still looked very nice, smart and chic, well groomed, etc.

I’m going to get flamed for this but I think staying properly fit for me, daily running etc has massively helped with my ageing.

You seem to be conflating good with young. You don't have to look young to look good.

It's something that I'm trying to accept myself and not resorting to endless procedures to retain my face! I know looks aren't everything but it's human nature to want to look good

Looking older doesn't mean not looking good?

I smile at my younger self - I had no idea I was beautiful when I was 25. I don't care one bit about looking older. Getting old is an absolute privilege.

I’m going to get flamed for this but I think staying properly fit for me, daily running etc has massively helped with my ageing

Why would anyone flame you for this?

I feel like society places a lot of emphasis on youth as beauty sadly..it's wrong

Honestly, i've never felt like i had looks to lose. Been fat all my life, currently a few weeks off 33. Never been a makeup wearer, never been a sunbather, infact, due to ill health i've been heavily housebound most of my adult life since my mid teens.
I have however noticed alot lately with my same age schoolmates on social media, that a lot of them are getting quite wrinkly round the eyes, whereas i'm not. Not sure if my face is just better padded by being fat, or if all the years of being stuck indoors has meant much less sun exposure, pollution, no makeup etc has actually made me age slower. It has given me a little unexpected boost to my confidence, that i feel i don't look as old as i am.

It is so odd to see the whole fascinating and complex lifelong process of human ageing reduced to simply an ageing appearance.

What's more, it's usually a middle-aged "ageing appearance"!

I am jumping in to agree with @Baoing . I certainly didn’t know how beautiful I was at 25 (with a 4 year old DS) butI do remember noticing little creases around my eyes and mouth and reacting with incredulity….but a (much) younger woman commented at a story my lifelong best friend told her last night saying “ you both must have been so beautiful when you were young” and we were aghast 🤨 Because we don’t feel so very different yet have grown into our skin IYSWIM.
luckily her partner piped up “and they still are !” Otherwise it would have been daggers drawn over the cheese course….I was like, mate it will happen and you can’t trade youth over laughter lines..which I am happy to have !

I really like my life now, my friends, family, home, environment, hobbies, who i am . My body is shaped by the journey to get to this point. I’m able to view myself with kindness and acceptance of my imperfections. I’m surrounded by strong inspirational people of different ages, beautiful in different ways.

@AlmostAJillSandwich I am sorry you have had this experience thus far but you are really not old at 33 ! I have always avoided sun exposure (skin that burns at a glance from the sun , yet I now live in the tropics, which is fierce so I am always spf70 ) exposure to external pollution definitely makes a difference, so maintain what’s good for you and do little things which will boost (without comparing) 💐

At 55 I definitely looked younger than my age, I had lost 30kg in six months when I was 50 so was in a good place. I modelled when I was younger so although never drop dead gorgeous I would have been considered fairly good looking. A cancer diagnosis at 55, pretty much as shit as it can get, a year of intensive treatment, follow up meds and putting the 30kg back on partly because of the meds and partly because of “life is too short not to eat the pasta” and at 59 I am looking old 😐 It makes me a bit sad some days but I usually just try and be grateful for the fact that I am still alive.

I put a lot of effort into presentation, but nothing artificial (no Botox, fillers, etc). I’m careful with sun exposure but some damage was done in my youth. I’m quite grey and don’t colour but spend money on haircuts and good shampoo. I exercise and stay at the lower end of the healthy weight range for my height. I think as women age, and knowing what we know now about bone health etc, those who don’t will regret it massively. I want to live until I’m very old, and be independent. That is more important to me than how I look.

OP Iknow what you mean about beautiful old people. I think Jane Goodall is a perfect example.

I am 49. I still feel fairly beautiful even though I am overweight and clearly am ageing. I have liked the gradual lack of attention from men as it is changing me as a person in a good way. My aim is to be full of personality, smiley, kind, confident, intelligent and well groomed. Not saying you are like this but I spent all my youth obsessed by being attractive to men, and for what? Being and feeling beautiful can be attained by some self belief and self care regardless of age.

People used to put me at 5-10 years younger than I was. But my wrinkles have caught up with me & I'm fat, so it's no longer the case, especially since Covid & having marital problems. I suppose I peaked when I bought an expensive moisturiser that was supposed to plump up my wrinkles and I ended up with raging acne, and that was about 18 months ago. So I do my best to keep clean and tidy but otherwise I'm not too bothered about whatever beauty I once possessed. I'm on a strict diet to drop three dress sizes though.

Completely agree,great for mental and physical health, even a light jog/walk brings enoromous benefits,fresh air clears your head and helps me think with clarity. Somehow when i post about it on sm,no one seems interested!

56, and accepted it long ago. Growing older is a privilege denied to many. I won’t do Botox or anything like that, content to age, with a bit of make up. You can’t stop it anyway, and seems very expensive. I only wish there were comfy pants to support my ageing arse, as despite weight training since age 18, it’s fallen😕. All the so-called support knickers are uncomfortable, or cut off the blood supply, or just move the wobbly bits to another area!
Bearing in mind there’s lots of us over 50s out there, you’d think that there’d be more interesting clothing, and better make up that doesn’t sit in our crow’s feet!

I’ve never been bothered with how I look - no make up etc - so I can live with all the changes to my appearance. The back and hip pain can fuck off though. I’m ”only” 46 and every step hurts.

I am 46 and have never been slim or beautiful, so not so much to lose for me maybe. I never had a lot of attention from men and feel I blend in more now as an ordinary, mumsy, pleasant looking 40 something. My skin is really good actually but my teeth are crap from many fillings when I was young. I worry a lot more about my health declining than what I look like. My parents are in their 80s and have various health problems which makes their lives difficult, so I am grateful for my relative youth and energy at the moment.

i'm in my 60s and in many ways I'm happy to be this age and in pretty good health. I do look after my skin and I have had some procedures (with really good results) that have made me feel a lot better about my appearance.

I think I do accept my age, but sometimes I forget I'm old(er) and then remember with a jolt 'ah yes! the 90s were actually a pretty long time ago!'

I was never in denial, been aware of it since my teens and grasped the concept, but with each year its meaning develops further.

Oh the ageism is crap.
It's on these boards all the time, especially S&B.

Regularly on MN you get threads with people who claim to look younger than their years. Sometimes by many years. Ignore them - it's topsy turvy. You can't change your age, you won't stop the process. Just try to look after yourself, keep active, keep interested and engage with people and the world.
It would be nice if age was respected with the wisdom it brings, but just mentally acknowledge that some things you can't change, so don't fret over it.
There's more to life than being asked for age ID at a till!

It goes in jumps and stages. For me the psychological/social side has been more prominent recently - fully understanding that I'm now 20- 30 years older than most of my colleagues and that alters how we are together. The looks side - i do still colour my hair i suppose, despite happy friends who are going grey elegantly I'm not quite ready to do that.

Fat is generally ageing on me for sure, though if I ever again manage to shift substantial weight, no doubt ill be a bit shocked at the effect on my face and neck. I want to do it but Lord I'm finding it hard.

Now 54 and fully through the menopause. I miss my thicker hair and my energy levels. I was beautiful, but like other posters I'm glad that the street harrasment and constantly being sexualised has stopped. My DD now gets it, she works in a hospital and has heard remarks from doctors, it's so depressing. I'm due to go on a health kick. I'm overweight and I'm getting teeth implants so will need surgery. I do microneedling and I've had fibroblasting, which is all I want. Energy levels, movement and strength are more important than physical features to me.