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.

Sorry but I think women are milk men are wine.
you look at a pic of a man at 20 and him at 40- near on always better looking at 40- same experiment with women and it’s not the same answer

There are plenty of very good looking 50+ men where I live. Not all older men are fat and bald…

Annoyingly DH probably looks better now at 46 than when younger.

the beauty of the female body relies more on fat deposits i.e. breasts/boobs etc which are more likely to lose shape as they age. and, of course, go through pregnancy and childbirth. If men don’t gain weight then their bodies can look pretty similar aged 50 to aged 20.

I think there's some truth to this.

Men can retain a hard body in their 40s easily. If they keep on top of hormones, possibly even having TRT etc if testosterone plummets, they can be solid well into their 50s.

Conversely, there's no way for women to fight gravity. A 50yo woman absolutely can't have the body to rival a 20yo in most cases.

I feel part of this is societal expectations of beauty (voluptuous vs muscular) but it's also a reflection of us desiring the natural attributes inherent to each sex.

I am surrounded by slobby, grubby, smelly men with big bellies. Ha ha

I think for a ton of societal and biological reasons there is some truth to it. At least around the 40 year old mark. After about 60 it evens out though.

Geeez no. I went to two secondary schools and at the reunions for both many of the women looked fabulous; the guys not so much. Now we're in our 60s it's even more obvious.

All I know is my ex used to frequently say of women “that’s mutton dressed as lamb” but never said it of men.

So misogyny.

A better truth would be SOME women and SOME men age better than others. But a lot of the reasons given by other posters do apply.

It's in the genes as well though. My Mum's family age better than my Dad's. I take after my Mum's side. My DH is aging really well too though.

It's in the genes as well though. My Mum's family age better than my Dad's.

I agree with this My SIL (55) looks great. Her DH (54) is balding and lined, you'd never guess that he was a year younger than her, he looks about a decade older (I know that sounds unkind, but it's true).

They are both v. fit, not overweight at all and generally exercise together so they both eat and exercise the same way. For some reason, she looks considerably better. My DH (50) also has almost unlined skin, although he could do with losing a few pounds.

I don't think they necessarily age better, it just males are traditionally valued for their economic status and I guess looking older generally correlates with having more money, security and women are valued on their youth and fertility, which declines with age.
Don't agree with it, but that seems to be how it works.

I read somewhere women age sooner than men, but once men start to age, it's very rapid process. I think pregnancies, lack of sleep, less stamina for stress, thinner skin take their toll.

Yes, I think women age quicker in their 40's, but for men, it's their 50's and it happens fast.

I venomously do not agree, most people over 50 have and do age badly, men and women.
Weight gain kills the physical appearance of everyone, as does excessive drinking and smoking.
Personally, It's only now I've noticed a change from my early 40's to nearly 50, slowly starting to see the signs of aging. It's annoying.

No we absolutely don't. My husband's friends around the same age (late 30s to 40s) have all become fat with beer bellies, thinning hair, etc. When I look at my female friends of the same age some have put on weight obviously but most are still attractive and in good shape.

Obviously there are also good looking older men around but you'll find them to be the exception rather than the norm. I don't know how this myth came about!

It's bullshit. I went to a school reunion a few years ago and all of the women looked pretty much the same as when in school, older yes but essentially the same, even the ones who didn't wear make up or particularly dress up. Most of the men were barely recognisable, a lot of them had lost most of their hair, they were mostly quite paunchy, and they just looked old. There were exceptions, but very few.

Venomously?

Such a strong reaction 😑

So if ‘’most’ people over 50 age badly,
isn’t that just ageing? With the few who age better than this perhaps being atypical and considered to be ageing well?

I think women age quite dramatically from mid 40s due to hormones dropping off. Once through the menopause it levels off and in your late 50s/60s the decline is not so pronounced.

For me it’s more gradual but I agree it tends to even out by 60s.

It really is hard for women on all counts when going through the menopause- loss of oestrogen and other hormones- this leads to potential weight gain especially round the middle. You need loads more protein which many women don’t realise. It’s very hard to lay down muscle or even maintain the muscle you do have…

For men it’s more gradual

Most men I know have aged worse than women the same age. They ones who aren’t are blessed with great genes.

Thanks for your explanation, however I am a Doctor and fully conversant with the facts.

However, I wasn’t asking about menopause related decline which in the absence of timely prescribed, correctly dosed HRT is inevitable.
I was asking about health decline generally, which somewhat this poster implied.

And 40 is very, very young to see menopause related changes and not the norm anywhere in the world.

I am 50. I sure can’t rival a 20 year old but my body is pretty good. My skin is smooth and youthful. My breasts and ass still look good ( small breasted so not sagged). Unfortunately my face has not aged well. I do look like I have the face of someone 20 years older than my body. Y’know like those games where you can swap around the heads and bodies of characters! That’s me!

Nothing against hrt, but bone density loss is not inevitable without it. My grandmother in her 90s has never had hrt, and has had dexa scans showing minimal decline in her bone density. My mother on the other hand has full osteoporosis despite having had hrt because she has pernicious anemia and this resulted in the density loss, along with spinal stenosis. Her pernicious anemia was missed because her initial symptoms were treated as menopause. So I'd be very careful as a doctor when it comes to making assumptions about the health of middle aged women.

Pernicious anaemia isn’t inherently related to ageing though.

I am making no assumptions about ageing and health in middle aged women, rather I am challenging yours.

Of course it varies greatly from person to person, but when I look at actors as they age, the men seem to look better longer. Some of the men actually seem more attractive in middle age, especially if they've been lucky enough to keep their hair. While some of the women remain physically attractive for a long time, I don't know if I can think of any who look better with age.

This is all highly subjective, of course, and being a heterosexual woman may have something to do with my perceptions.

A load of absolute nonsense.
Everyone ages, some better than others.
It has nothing to do with sex.

The sort of men who think/say this are wishful thinkers who reckon they’re in with a chance with younger women because they’re ‘silver foxes’. Ignoring their jowls, saggy balls, balding hair, pot belly.

Men age too.