What clothing, make up, or hair style makes you look older?

[Mackerz]

I’m 40 and my mum has just told me that I’m at the age where I should have a cropped hair cut. I personally think this will add about 20 years on to me. I have dark brown hair, wavy, below shoulders and I have some lighter highlights around my face and parting. I wear it down and wavy, straightened with a bit of a kick at the ends or tied back in a loose bun at the nape of my neck with some of the front falling out. I’m lucky that it’s still thick and I keep it well conditioned.

I like to follow trends but adapt them to my age, so for example I will wear mini skirts but I’ll wear them with tights and boots.

Are there any things that people think are a dead giveaway for age - clothes, makeup or hair?

Glitter makeup. It only makes your wrinkles stand out more IMO.
Dark lipstick - idem.

Very wide, non fitting clothes.
Too sensible shoes.
Short grey hair.

Sorry if I have offended anyone with this list!

@honeybee

Oh god, glitter makeup. My time for glitter makeup has long passed!

Too much eyeliner, especially on the inside lower lid.

I also think that the fashion for heavy drag queen style make up/contouring - as sported by lots of younger women (think TOWIE) is very aging.

Over plucked eyebrows.

Waterfall cardies.

Accessories that are really matchy matchy.

Short grey hair. Flat shoes with wide trousers. Heavily dyed black hair. Black eyeliner. Novelty earrings. Socks with cat motifs.Light scarves with no purpose.

@shalom

Yes the block died black hair is a dead give away.

@Mackerz mine too

Shame I live in a country where every woman - from teens to older ladies - favours brown/gold/bronze glittery eyeshadow.

It’s literally very hard to find any neutral mattes unless you empty your wallet at the high end brands counter at the department store where the Chanel/Bobbi Brown/Lancome etc. is sometimes 50% more expensive then in my home country.

@AntiStuff

Just had to google waterfall cardi. I’m not a fan. Surely they just add bulk to your front.

I just feel like this is another way to bash mums/women.

Wear what you like. You ARE 40, so what? Wear the glitter makeup and rejoice in your wrinkles. Or wear the Bobbie brown barely there look and head to two tasteful mint velvet. But wear what you love and be damned with the rest of them!

Atalune, merely answering the question. I'm very happy with my cat motif socks.

1. Flat knee high boots especially in brown (They are the number one ageing item in my eyes)

1. Cardigans that end before the hips (not as sure why on this one but all my older relatives wear them.

1. Pastel Colours

Oh my goodness I have heavily dyed black hair but I am in my 20's...

I agree with you @Atalune wear what you want & to hell with what everyone else thinks!!

Although there are items that are ageing I don't think it's bashing mums!

Anything from Monsoon.

Socks with cat motifs :o

Don't listen to your mum OP! I have short hair but I always have because I like it. You do not have to get it cut at any age and certainly not 40.

@saucy

I think you can get away with more in your 20s. I love the grey hair with pink or lilac tones that I see young girls wearing. It would be too harsh for my 40 year old face though.

Short grey hair ? seems so odd that this would be suggested as ageing when so many members of MN champion pixie cuts and ditching the dye.

Every week I come on here there’s a different set of goalposts for how to look shite!

I can see this thread descending into a long list of looks/features which many women possess and should now feel ashamed of. Some won’t even have been thought of before so it could even spawn a brand new neurosis or three!

But back To the op - what is the boundary of looking old though ? Is it over 40? Over 30? There’s nothing worse than a woman daring to age.
Perhaps we could ditch the old-is-bad association and call it ‘tired’ instead. Then again youth can get tired but they haven’t committed the heinous misconduct of growing older with it.

What to do, what to do.

My mum also told me off for not matching my shoes with bags? Is this still a thing. I tend to have a few bags in neutral colours that go with most boots/trainers.

The only time I would try to match is if I was dressing up in heels and a dress for a wedding.

Don’t cut your hair. Long hair (provided it’s thick and healthy) always makes women look younger - which is often why Indian / Asian / Spanish / French women often do look younger than British women of the same age despite having similar amounts of skin damage.

Just to add: apologies op, my post was written with a sly humour, which isn’t personal to you in particular. Just a cultural observation.

@music

Polite disagreement is welcome! It is a discussion forum.

@Atalune

I’m 40, not 20 or 70. I appreciate there are some things that would make me look like a try hard / just wouldn’t suit me anymore but equally I don’t want to shuffle off into the 70 year old look before my time.

Short hair a 'must' because you're 40? Matching shoes and bags? Nope. I'm 65, have shoulder length hair and have no matching shoes and bags. Your mum sounds very old fashioned in her views OP.

I'm approaching 50 😢 and my hair is still bra-strap length. I'm sure I've disappointed a few men who've turned round to see my face, expecting a youthful maiden and finding, instead, a crone. 😆 But I love my hair.

@AnuvvaMuvva

I love my hair too, I think it’s a feature of mine. I even love the ritual of washing and conditioning it (it takes a while). I think I have probably disappointed a few men when I’ve turned round too!

Long, wild, curly undyed hair, flat knee high boots as mentioned above, little or no make up.

Oh, wait, that's me!

I probably do look "older" but I am older and am happy to have made it this far, some friends and family haven't. I wear what makes me feel good.

mum jeans, boot cut jeans, elasticated knee high boots, culottes, any kind of brooch to 'jazz up an outfit', any kind of faux look (e.g. a faux Chanel suit from Karen Millen), fascinators, over accessorising (lots of jingly bracelets / necklaces)....

I love this! Gonna think of more.