Do women really age worse than men?

[CoalTit]

I just read a novel where the protagonist thinks at one point how women age worse than men, and it took me back to a couple of boyfriends in the nineties saying that as if it were just something that everyone knows. I was really surprised that anyone would think the sex that goes bald ages better. Do any women think men age better than women?
YABU: yes, women age (physically) worse than men do.
YANBU: no, men as a class age just as badly as women.

It’s not nonsense, it’s biological fact. The fact that many women wear sun cream to counter it doesn’t mean we are not biologically more susceptible to the ageing effects of UV in sunlight compared to men.

You can always find examples of people who haven’t bothered with sun cream…or men who have aged worse than you have. The question is on a population level not a @Rosehugger vs David Beckham level.

Absolutely not the case. Went to a few large gigs recently where mid 40s plus was the average crowd age. Women almost entirely aged far better than men.

It was also the topic of my friends from college when we met up about how young I looked compared to all of them (all men) it is true not to be blowing my own trumpet. They all look old and not Brad Pitt older. DHs mates wives all look great and the men less so.

Women age better by a mile as far as I have noticed.

Definitely not within my friend group. And surely one of the main factors in sun ageing is how much melanin you have, regardless of sex?

We had a class reunion the other year (we're nearing 50) and the women had all aged so much better than the men. It was remarked up.

I saw an ex from my teens, unexpectedly, the other day. I was taken aback by what a middle-aged golf-dad-type he’s become. He looked so grey & jaded. And he’d filled out quite a bit. I mean, to be expected in one’s mid-forties...

But, he didn’t clock me. I don’t look much different. Obviously, I’m no longer the cute young thing I was way back when we dated. I’m still nice-looking though, vivacious as ever & physically in good nick despite having my baby later in life.

So, no. I know lots of other men in my old circle who have become boring bastards. With looks to match. And plenty of women who still have it, both looks & personality.

Not at all. I'm fact they often age worse in my opinion and I think women do more generally to keep up their health and looks.

It's just sexist nonsense you see through the older you get.

Lines on a man's face are much more tolerated and normalised by society

On a personal level and purely on faces, I love lines on a man's face. The weathered look. Not a smooth young face. Its becaue i associated it with being and adult with experience. Wonder how many men think that about women and why the differences? Do they simply prefer youth?

Well women usually keep their hair and often colour it, which men don't often.
Imv it's the other way round, men age more.

Nonsense - I look my own version of fabulous 😁

Saggy boobs and a belly overhang are just as bad on men.

This
If I think of all the couples I know who are 40+
.Nine times out of ten the woman look younger

I think it depends on genetics and lifestyle. Not so much gender.

Smoking, alcohol, drugs, exposure to the sun, illnesses can age you.

Hair styles, makeup and choice of clothing can also age you.

& Some people just look older/younger then what they are. IMO the queen looked like she was in her 40’s when she became queen at 25.

Then there’s the argument that women are overall looking “younger” due to Botox and aesthetic treatments. (I know men get them too but more popular and accepted with women). I think a lot of treatments can age you too.

Some older women look amazing. I'm nearly 48 and I think look pretty good (ha!). However, I do think youth and fertility are highly valued in women. Once women are past their most fertile years they are seen as being of less value. I don't agree with this notion (quite the opposite!) but it sadly seems to be the case.

What a load of misogynistic crap.
It's just that men think they look wonderful, however much time has taken its toll; a saggy, flabby, jowly, flaccid, balding, grey forgetful old git still thinks he can chat up an attractive woman and might get lucky.
Women, on the other hand are regarded disdainfully, and as if an ancient relic, if they have the temerity to look over 25.

It's all bollocks. How you age is in part good luck and part how you take care of yourself.

Funny you said that. I saw a photo of my teenage crush on my sister’s Facebook
I couldn’t believe how terribly he had aged.
I almost didn’t recognise him.
He is the same age as me , but looks at least fifteen years older.

I think it’s the opposite. Women take much more care of themselves.

All my friends look much younger than husbands.

Christ no, total myth. Look at the middle aged male staff in your kids schools for gods sake.

I would say that naturally we probably age similarly. However the pressure on women to dye their hair, wear make up, stay slim and dress nicely is more than the pressure on men, in my experience.

I would say that a good looking man with all his hair is on a par with a slim woman with hair and make up done.

Many women are far more critical of themselves, hence the prevalence of highly filtered photos of women and the ones on OLDating sites of fat bald old men, taken in their van from below their chins to show their nostril hair.

Women know how to make the best of themselves even if they have naturally sagged and aged and greyed, whereas many men don’t.

And what I meant to say is that any women NOT towing the party line and dying her grey hair or otherwise making herself look younger is judged more harshly than a man doing the same.

I think most women today look smart . Years ago they were tired from child rearing looking after big families.today more likely to have money for nice clothes often more health conscious than their male counterparts is

I think in middle age most women look better than most men. Women die their hair, wear make up and mostly make far more effort to dress nicely than men. Many men go grey, bald and make no effort to look smart.

Since I posted the OP I've thought of three men I've known in their thirties and forties who shocked me with photos from their twenties and teens. They were absolutely gorgeous before I knew them! Two of them had lost a fair bit of hair since the photos were taken, and one had put on a fair bit of weight as well.

Of course childbearing is hard on your body, as PP have said, but I just can't see that men age better on the whole. So, it's interesting to see that nearly 40 % of the responses disagree with me, and I'm assuming that the majority of us here are female.

Rubbish.
Men are just allowed to age.

Facially though - one thing that men can do that can conceal a multitude of sins around the lower face area - downward lines, lip lines, saggy jaw and chin area - is GROW A BEARD!

Beards can hide a multitude of sins. Well, if it’s well-groomed.

I agree, it's just simply that men are allowed to age.

Women become increasingly invisible past 25. Which in some ways is a relief. I remember the dread of walking past a group of men of any age, knowing I was about to be assessed in as much detail as possible as I passed - and have the results of the assessment shouted at me. That started around the age of 13 and I stayed young looking for my age until my late 30's. Now I'm about to turn 50 and the only male strangers who speak to me are lovely ones who would be happy to chat with anyone. The grey hair and spare tyre have seen off the horny and the aggressive. It's nice.

Total myth.
Most women I know in their 40s and 50s look considerably better than their male peers. I include women who have had 3 or 4 kids in this sample. The only thing I would say is that the baby and toddler years can leave a woman looking haggard from sheer exhaustion, but I've seen a lot of women get their groove back in the most spectacular way and look absolutely gorgeous again once the physical slog and sleep deprivation of early motherhood are done. Unfortunately a lot of middle aged men don't bounce back in a similar way and go into a terminal decline of not exercising, not looking after themselves and wearing appalling clothes. I guess society lets them get away with it.