To say she simply cannot be turning 40?!

[Downtownonsaturdaynight]

I'm a big fan of Gemma Atkinson. Always had her down as a young mum. Yet i just read she is turning 40 tomorrow!!!

I do think a lot of people are really naive about this.

People gushing about how young you look or saying ‘I thought you were only about 35!’ are often being polite. If asked how old I think someone is I’ll always shave at least five years off what I actually think, sometimes more like seven to ten. As no forty year old will be offended to be thought of as about thirty two but they might be offended to be thought of as forty two.

This. No-one looks more than 6-7 years younger, not when you look close up/carefully, and take off the make up. Salma Hayek is clearly gorgeous - but take off the make up and botox, and she will very likely look like a woman in her 50s. And why wouldn't she? Why SHOULDN'T she? She IS a woman in her 50s!

What the fuck is wrong with looking your age (or close to it?) The obsession some people on Mumsnet have for wanting people to think they look younger than they are, (or thinking a woman is more attractive if she looks younger than she is,) is ridiculous. We are all ageing and we all look our age (pretty much! As I say, within 6-7 years.)

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Boomers were born from 1946 to 1960.
They are 65-79.

What a bitter message!!! Also completely untrue-I have friends that have turned 50 and they look amazing and could easily pass for 10 years younger! My mum also looked so much younger than her age even now. Then there’s the likes of JLo, Jennifer Aniston and many other celebrities in the 50 plus bracket that look amazing. You just come across nasty tbh

I'm really not bitter and definitely not nasty. Blunt I guess at a push. J-lo, Halle Berry etc are 1 in a million movie stars and even they look their age without ring lights following them round. They're beautiful women and I see beauty in older women everywhere. I'm the last person on earth to run women down. I'm being very specific in my comments. Age catches up with everyone. There is no running from it. Botox, fillers, face lifts etc are clearly visible. They never make you look younger.

100% this. ^ It's doesn't make someone 'bitter' if they state facts. And it is a fact that most people pretty much look their age. And even the most beautiful and stunning of women (like actresses and other celebrities) look their age when they're not in the stage (or camera) spotlight, and have no make up on ...

Many celebrities (particularly female ones) use botox and fillers, and this makes the skin smooth. Even the gorgeous Salma Hayek has clearly been using botox. Her face is a smooth as a baby's! No way has she not been using botox on her face! Without the botox and make up she will look pretty much her age.

As you say though, fillers and botox can result in making people look older. Not younger!

Salma looks beautiful there but definitely not in her thirties! I would guess she was a woman of her age.

I have to say though, there is a woman at work who is 42 but I honestly thought she was around 22/23 and I wasn't alone in that. We all assumed the same. She's quite petite, bright eyed, fresh faced and not married or has kids so maybe that's why. She hates it though and says it makes people treat her like a kid.

It came across nasty when it was a direct reply to a PP saying people say she gets told she looks 10 years younger. If you put a line up of 50 year olds next to each-other some would look that age, some would look a lot older and some would look a lot younger due to genetics, smoking, sun exposure, looking after skin, what they eat, how they dress and exercise they do or don’t do to keep fitness/body type. Just because someone is over 50 doesn’t mean they look the same age as another person that age so I believe people can 100% look younger than what they are even past the age of 50

They really aren't. Not yet.

I'm 52 and was told I looked in my 40s last week. I told her to tell me the absolute truth and she had no reason to lie. Wouldn't have cared if she said I looked older than I am. I do think I look in my 40s but it is completely irrelevant to anything.

You told her to 'tell you the absolute truth'. That smacks of needing a boost. She gave it to you. It's not about lying, people do just fudge when other people ask them about their age.

If you really weren't bothered you wouldn't have needed to ask for the truth. I think that only women ask what age people think they are. It's really sad. Women are beautiful whatever age they are, they don't need smoke blowing up their backsides.

Yeah, big round of applause for all the women who look younger than their age. What an amazing achievement.

FFS.

Exactly this. It's a well documented fact that people often knock 5 years off when guessing someone's age. And it smacks of deep insecurity and desperate attention-seeking, to demand that someone tells you the absolute truth when you ask 'what do you think my age is?'

The fact is you look your age @JawsCushion You are 52, and to some people you will look 46-47, to others you will look 55-57. I am mid 50s and have had some people assume I'm 5-6 years younger, and some people assume I'm 5-6 years older. Plain fact is, I look my age. So do you. The desperation to be thought of as looking younger and to tell everyone on here that this person and that person said you look sooooo much younger is actually a bit tragic.

Wrinkles at 40?

Yes of course people have wrinkles at 40

Nah I just tell it as I see it. Jane McDonald looks pretty good too. Maybe you would care to share a photo of yourself??

Why ffs? I am in my 60s. I don't want to dress like someone my daughters' ages!!!

What a revoltingly ridiculous comment! I think at my age, I have earned the right to make my statement!!

Well I feel "invisible" in my early 60s. It's actually soul destroying. I am still the same person I have always been but apparently now I am old and irrelevant. Never saw this coming.

You are actually talking crap!

Oh go and do one, I had my youngest when I was 40! It wasn't planned that way but I had two miscarriages, so shoot me now! Nothing wrong with having a baby in your 40s!

Not everyone looks their age. What a huge generalisation you are making!

Never heard of her but she is gorgeous but honestly I think she does look her age?? I'm only a few years younger, but she looks fairly similar agewise to me and I reckon I look bang on late 30s. She is clearly very healthy

I'm 39 and she looks similar to me. I look really young for my age too. For some reason millennials aren't aging like the generations either side. It's been a hot topic in social media. No idea why for the general population but I have a genetic disorder that makes me stay looking younger. It's the only positive thing about having it.

Absolutely did not need a boost. I have no issue if people think I look older than I am. Why would I care? I was buying moisturisers etc. she said what she used and volunteered how old she was and I was shocked. She genuinely looked younger. So of course only fair for her to know my age. I'm not sad. I don't need or want smoke blown up my arse. It was all in context. But you carry on.