Arrrrgghhh!!!!

[Ilovelisting]

I am 50 and every woman my age who I seem to come across looks fabulous and gets mistaken for 35 and has the smooth neck of a baby and all that good stuff. And I have no delusions about myself that I was ever Claudia bloody Schieffer (showing my age there), but I dress nicely and my hair is nice and I wear makeup, albeit in an amateur fashion, and I am not dowdy and I like to think I have wit and a youthful approach to life. And I look in the mirror and defnitely see puffiness and eyelids that are going south but I am not overly disgusted with my reflection - and I do tend to be a harsh critic of myself.
BUT...........today ANOTHER person mistook me for being a good decade older than I am, This is the second time in a year that this has happened, and over the last 10 years I have been mistaken for being older upteen times. And I can't put my finger on what is going on..like am I in denial about my face or is it a kind of old vibe I give off.

Also, DH tells me dutifully that I am loveliness itself but besides him, nobody ever tells me I look well. So I guess maybe I don't and I am living in delusion? AIBU to ask someone to talk me off the ledge? I know this is all quite incoherent but today's comment just pushed me over the edge.

Yes defo watch it, Demi was amazing in it!

I will check out the book thanks for the recommendation!

Agree about Estee Lauder Double Wear it was my go to for years, I thought I'd revisit it recently and it looked truly awful, like a cracked mask!

I am 44 and look young for my age - but I have always had a baby face. I am female and work in IT so the men in the team treat me like a child! Annoys me.

I'm also overweight which probably adds to my 'youthful' appearance as I have chubby cheeks.

I don't think there is anything wrong with looking your age - hopefully people treat with respect and as though you are an adult. I am sure you look lovely OP

Haven't read the full thread, so probably been said already, but could it be posture?

I had a tough year bent over my desk and hardly moving it robbed my shoulders and aged me massively!

I switched my desk situation, took up yoga and have dropped a decade with better posture... Meanwhile my yoga teacher who is 60 looks barely 50 because she moves beautifully!

Isn't it funny, you're treated like a child in your job and I am sometimes treated like a batty, hormonal middle aged woman in mine. By men who are much flakier and thicker than I am. That'll be the misogyny. 🙄

Yep posture has come up but your angle is interesting. I am totally starting to pay attention to this.
PS - I get the importance of posture but might the yoga teacher also look younger because she guzzles water instead of wine and never sticks her face in a bag of chips? Just sayin! 😅

Very true @Ilovelisting! Men treat us woefully for whatever treason they can!

I have quite a high pitched voice too - so no chance of me being taken seriously

Reason not treason 🤦🏼‍♀️

I've really enjoyed your thread op... And will also be looking up some of the make up tips you've been given, but you've made me laugh a lot.

P.s my post should have said what rounded shoulders I got from my horrid year in 2022, from which I'm now fully recovered... I had started to get the forward leaning neck/jutting chin thing you see on a lot of older folk... As all the women in my family have that in a rather pronounced way... I'm sorry to say I had started to accept I was aged and This Was It...

But that's totally reversed now, all the right ligaments are lengthened once more, I can whip my head round to glance over my shoulder. My neck looks longer and I move more fluidly. Front/ back crawl is now back to effortless instead of creaky as my arms can rotate in their sockets properly... so that's youthful. It took me a year of yoga practice to make the change, but I'm not a dedicated student and only do it once a week so I'm impressed with how effective even just that level of doing was.

Oh and the yoga teacher loves going out and having a glass of wine/cocktails so it's not all aloe Vera juices! 😁

I'm really glad that you came back from that and that you are seeing the benefits of yoga. Whatever about posture, I have all sorts of strains and aches and I need to take some action. Am also glad to have made you larf 😍

If you feel insecure about people's comments, it may be worth considering changing your look a bit? (If you feel it will make you happier)

Speak to a hairdresser with a good reputation and ask for recommendations of styles/colours that would suit your face shape to look a bit more youthful. Maybe consider investing in a make-up lesson with someone who's work you like (there are so many new products now and it's easy to stick to an old routine which isn't always flattering)

Maybe speak to a colour consultant to see what your most flattering colours are and book a personal shopper (you don't HAVE to buy the outfits) to get a more youthful style.

Just a few suggestions but may help you feel more confident.

I always reckon I look 45 in the summer after a good holiday and lots of swimming in the sea - and 55 in the winter, esp this year as I've just had flu and antibiotics and feel like I really need to hibernate until at least mid March...