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Original poster

At what age (honestly) did you look your best?

189 replies

catsaremylife · 21/05/2023 21:00

Society tells us that youth is beautiful, but I look at photos of myself at 18 and think I looked a total state! No idea about how to dress, skincare, and I still had the puppy fat.

Maybe I'm deluded, but I think I started to look my best from my very late 20s (in early 30s now), but maybe that's due to lots of things - being healthier, exercising more, better fashion, taking care of my skin etc.

OP posts:
caringcarer · 29/06/2023 22:40

I know I like looked my best between about 17 and 24. I look back at photos and think how did I possibly look that good? Then I had DC. I no longer had the time to sort out my nails and hair to the same extent. I stopped bothering with make up unless I was going out. I put on weight post babies. Now it's all i.cananagr to get my hair dyed and cut. The sad thing is at the time I just took my looks for granted. I never thought my looks would fade.

BewitchedBotheredandBewildered · 29/06/2023 22:47

Bit more difficult post 70.

SoWhatEh · 29/06/2023 22:49

Mid 20s. I was very slim and very fit. But neurotic and didn't have a boyfriend for years. Met DH in my late 20s when I'd filled out a little bit.

StarDolphins · 29/06/2023 22:50

I looked my best from 28-35 & now I look like a scarecrow! But I’m ok with it!

LadyInBread · 29/06/2023 22:51

It was a very good year.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 29/06/2023 22:54

22, I was in my best shape, had the confidence of youth and the disposable income without responsibilities to spend on self care.

StarchySturgess1 · 29/06/2023 22:59

27

Kitchen12345 · 29/06/2023 23:01

18 definately.

mdinbc · 29/06/2023 23:16

This is an interesting discussion. I can't really tell from photos, since I don't think I ever look that great in photos!

I'll say mid to late 30's. My youngest had started school, and I had a bit more time for exercise, plus I think I had a better sense of self; I was more confident.
I'm still fairly confident in my looks now in my early 60's (except for my neck... where on earth did these wrinkles come from?)

QueefQueen80s · 29/06/2023 23:19

Lucia574 · 29/06/2023 17:17

It depends whether you equate looking best with looking young. I’m more confident in my appearance and style now, in my early fifties, than I have ever been. I was lovely looking around 20, but less confident in myself than I am now. So, relative to my age, I’d say now!

Exactly, I don't equate young with lovely. It's sad some people think they are past it after their 20s.

missfliss · 30/06/2023 07:18

Now actually (46) am overweight but working on that - boosting my fitness and finally learning how to eat properly.

I dress better, know what suits me and how to make the most of my features.

I had beautiful skin in my 20s and a really nice figure and suited being slim, but put on weight and didn't have the means to dress well or take care of my hair and teeth ( smoked, drank too much, poor diet and no exercise).

I have basically decent genes but they need support with knowledge, application of good foundational healthy steps and bleach (!) to look their best ...!

Vivi0120 · 30/06/2023 10:14

Around 25-27. Then I gained weight and became pregnant, also started getting wrinkles. :) Before 25, I looked like a teenage girl, with pimples and other skin related issues. :)

Intriguedbythis · 30/06/2023 10:56

@LunaNorth no you’re absolutely right, I am sure you can. But I guess it’s surely less realistically possible to be a head turner at that age.. but maybe it’s because I don’t know many of that age group and I have probably sadly been quite brain washed by growing up in the 90s and having all those stupid magazines bought for me like Heat/Closer/etc with the circle of shame ⭕️ didn’t actually realise how toxic That all was until recently … guess I still need to work on that. Have such a terrible viewpoint tbh and I think a lot of women of my age group ‘suffered’ from images of ‘anorexic’ type models like Kate ( at the time).

GrethaGoat · 30/06/2023 11:00

25-30: I think this is when I probably looked the best, but wish I had known it (youth wasted on the young etc…) and had more confidence
30-49: Had children and worked full time in a fairly stressful job. Put on weight and drank too much wine for years to relax in the evenings. Let myself go massively.
49 -current age 51: Finally pulled myself together and went down the gym and sorted my diet out. Feel that I look the greatest I have since my 20s and I also have the added confidence. So I definitely think with a lot of hard work (for me at least) you can look amazing in your 50s too

SedentaryCat · 30/06/2023 11:37

Probably around 40 ish. I'd worked hard to get to a healthy weight, took exercise and generally looked after myself. Had bags of confidence.

10 years on and 2 now teenage children and I'm definitely not in that good place any more. Some significant trauma five years ago has knocked the stuffing out of me. Slowly building it back though - much harder this time!

PollyIndia · 30/06/2023 17:12

I looked good at about 32 I see in photos, but I'm 47 now and I think I feel the best I've felt. I am confident with what I wear (also give much less of a shit what people think), and I'm into my emerging wrinkles. I also feel the strongest I've felt and exercise most days, eat well etc. Making the most of it before menopause strikes, though I also think I'm looking forward to the crone years tbh. Though I know so much of feeling good depends on good health for me and the people I love, especially DS... so there's a lot of luck and privilege involved too. I already lost both my parents, which was awful, and heartbreaking, but I know that is behind me now and I can't lose them again, as sad as it makes me.

RuthW · 30/06/2023 17:21

Now. The more confident I become the better I see myself. I'm 55.

TheReverendBeeb · 30/06/2023 17:25

@RuthW - seconded and love your turn of phrase. Currently approaching mid fifties and am feeling very comfortable in my own skin.

Bbq1 · 30/06/2023 17:32
  1. My body was amazing. Due to illness I have put on weight over the years but always trying to lose it. I know I won't get that same body back but I hope to lose weight and improve it. Facially, I still look very youthful. I'm lucky as it's down to good genes and skin. I'm 50 and a man in a shop just said to me today, "Excuse me young lady"!!
ReadtheReviews · 30/06/2023 17:33

24!

Lengokengo · 30/06/2023 17:34

30-35 for me.

borntobequiet · 30/06/2023 18:13

I’m 70 in a few weeks’ time and I probably look better than I did when at any other age. Grey hair suits me and lifts my complexion, I’m the same shape and size as I was in my forties, am fit and active, and my face is better suited to age than it was to youth. Many of the responsibilities and anxieties of middle age have gone away or resolved themselves, which has improved my quality of life and helped with mood and appearance. I’m not sure how much HRT has helped, but I have no intention of giving it up.

MsJuniper · 30/06/2023 18:26

32

NinjaTurtIe · 30/06/2023 19:39

27 to 31 because I knew how to style myself better, had more money and was still fresh faced. When I was 18 to 19 I had 'raw' good looks but I was nowhere as well groomed or aware of fashion as the current TikTok generation where a 14 year old looks like a 21 year old supermodel with perfect make up and everything. There just weren't the free resources or cheap clothes back then to look this good which reminds me: She's not pretty she just has money tiktoks.

tortir · 30/06/2023 20:19

Late teens, 20s

Beautiful skin etc

I look well ' for my age' now but head-turningly beautiful was in my youth.