This is what 70 looks like - patronising shite about beauty in old age.

[placemats]

www.theguardian.com/fashion/2018/aug/05/this-is-what-70-looks-like-the-new-generation-of-beauty-influencers

Not one of them is a man of course. It's all down to women to hold on to that beauty ideal. Whatever your age.

Clothes are important as is keeping healthy and keeping in touch with your friends.

But NO, us women have to confirm to looks, and facial looks, only.

The Guardian is as sexist as the Daily Fail.

Yet more conformity masquerading as progressive.

I'm nowhere near 70 myself, but I really don't want to slathering on face creams at that age - I'd rather put in on my feet . I'm hoping to be content and happy then.

I'm 59. I wear make up. Is it OK with the posters on here that I might be interested in knowing what products will work better for me at 59 or 69 than the ones I used at 29?

You (general you) don't like make-up - fine, find an article you are interested in.

i suppose with an ageing population etc it makes sense for the beauty industry to start targeting older women on platforms where they are found, by using bloggers and "influencers" with whom the demographic identify. "Tis all marketing..

Crack on, Lass, nobody’s trying to stop you.

Maybe find a thread you’re interested in?

I didn't say I didn't wear make up though Lass Though I can't wear mascara anymore. There are ways to get pass the latter whilst looking good.

I have a special person I go to on youtube to remind me sort me out (plus I used to work in a make up department). Happy tip. Don't spend loads of money on colours. But this person deals with heavy lids and eye make up.

My problem is not so much a face cream but a good lipstick, both in texture and colour.

My tips are to:

Look after your hands, arms, feet and legs as you age. Get a good haircut only twice a year.

Check out you tube.

Maybe find a thread you’re interested in?

Am I only allowed to post if I endorse the majority view point? 

Actually, I rather liked the article.....

....runs away quickly, or rather hobbles >>>>>>>

Look after your hands, arms, feet and legs as you age. Get a good haircut only twice a year

I don't actually follow any tips on YouTube or any bloggers. I'm quite happy with the way I look and dress. My objection to this is the sour faced pontificating by some posters. I get a good haircut every 5 weeks- whether that might meet with your approval of what is acceptable is irrelevant.

I didn't find anything particularly useful in that article ; indeed had the OP not in her indignation not brought it to my attention it is an article I wouldn't even have read normally.

Oops double negative - indeed had the OP in her indignation not brought it to my attention it is an article I wouldn't even have read normally.

*I'm 59. I wear make up. Is it OK with the posters on here that I might be interested in knowing what products will work better for me at 59 or 69 than the ones I used at 29?

You (general you) don't like make-up - fine, find an article you are interested in*

That isn’t how I read the o/p?

The point of the thread is not if women of a certain age should wear or like make up, but that the guardian felt the need to write an article focussed on women “staying young and beautiful”. Women, and only women, trying to live up to some beauty ideal. Who gives a fuck if they’re retired astrophysicists, look, a beauty blog someone your age should be interested in!

The goal of every woman, even older ones, is to draw attention to their looks. We have to be old and still beautiful.

Fuck that. When I’m 70 i want to be travelling the world, surfing and being active. No blogs featured for 70 year old surfers though, is there.

I'm a dyed in the wool second wave feminist, which, by definition, makes me an older woman. I wear makeup (sometimes). I use skincare products. I am interested in fashion. I do sometimes watch YouTube videos that are aimed at older women, and I have found a few of them helpful.

I am not aiming at looking younger (and I don't like vloggers who mention this with every other sentence), but I do want to look well put together, especially for work.

I think some of these women are actually pretty brave, putting their unmade up and unadorned faces out there for all the world to see. And some of them get online nasty ageist comments for doing so.

There would be blogs for 70 year old surfers if they had something to sell. point is its all about selling products. The bloggers are the salespeople or as is termed "influences" all wrapped up in a lifestyle blog aimed at the targeted demographic.

There are actually quite a few YouTube videos on aging surfers, including those over 70. Y'all just need to do a little googling.

I think the skincare industry is run by liars and charlatans and I hate the way looking good is conflated with looking young. But I love clothes and I like playing with my appearance and always have done.

Whenever there's a thread like this, there is always an undercurrent of 'you can do what you like but I've got better things to do with my time.' I remember being regarded (in some circles) as too flighty to be a feminist when I was 19 and, 40-odd years later, it sometimes feels as if little has changed.

I agree about bloggers by the way. There used to be some really interesting ones but it's mostly furtive PR these days.

There are actually quite a few YouTube videos on aging surfers, including those over 70. Y'all just need to do a little googling

Didn’t say there wasn’t. Just that the guardian wouldn’t think 70 year old surfer blogs worth featuring. Because beauty is far more important to women, of any age, than any physical or educational achievement.

It’s yet again reinforcing that looks and beauty are the only thing about women that anyone is interested in.

Lets go “man who has it all” for a minute. If the same article was written about 70 year old male bloggers, what do you think they’d feature? Men’s fashion? The best moisturiser or how to style receding hair? No, it would be 5 men who go sailing, or skiing, or rock climbing. Doing stuff, not figuring out how to sit around looking more decorative.

This is how it goes, every single time: fashion written off and belittled because it's seen as a women's interest.

I'd rather go clothes shopping than rock climbing any time so sue me.

But the vast majority of media content on makeup and skincare is aimed at women, including ones aimed at younger audiences. It's all sexist to a degree. When I read this article, I was thinking that the writer had just discovered an interesting angle on beauty vlogging that perhaps a lot of people were unaware of and decided to write about it.

I actually like doing the exercise, the makeup and the clothes shopping. So there. And I don't expect to be shot for liking all three. But I've never found a good lipstick in all my life.

But why does this link NOT include men? And why is it focused on only women who 'look good'?

Is it that women are somehow different from men when it comes to looking good? Personally, I don't think so.

I'm not sure it's down to sexism. I think it's a bit more complicated than that.

I'm not, NOT, spending any more of my hard earned money anymore on this nonsense that is anti wrinkle cream.

I want my woman wrinkles to be just as good as Mick Jaggers!

Mainstream media will always cater to mainstream interests unfortunately. They're not in the habit of encouraging diversity, rather reflecting back at the reader.

By contrast, whilst it has its drawbacks, social media has been very democratising in terms of people of "non-typical" profiles promoting the stuff they're doing/ interested in (e.g. 50 year old Crossfitters, 70 year old surfers, overweight marathoners) and of course there's marketing to be done there - old surfers/ runners/ still buy stuff and they're more likely to buy it if it's endorsed by someone who they relate to rather than 20 year old pro-surfer Brad from California with his chiselled jaw and 6 pack abs).

I really enjoy following people achieving a lot in sports and fitness in their 40's because it makes me realise that it's ok to redefine goals and their challenges/ advice are more relatable.

Therefore, bit torn on this. I don't really like the article but it is in the fashion section so...... and I think the bloggers are addressing ageism, even if not sexism. So much "anti-ageism" is actually a kind of "age denial" whereas this isn't.

I'm not sure it's down to sexism.

Perhaps I misunderstood what you meant by this then : "Not one of them is a man of course. It's all down to women to hold on to that beauty ideal. Whatever your age."

I think it’s the assumption that because I’m female this stuff should occur to me that winds me up.

If someone wears makeup, doesn’t, does skincare, doesn’t, wears skirts or doesn’t, that’s all fine.

Expecting me to give a shit about what I look like because society demands it, pfft no chance.

I’d describe my style as deliberately inconspicuous.

It's more ageist than sexist.

I post quite a log in MN about the need to check your mirror not your calendar when making decisions about your appearance.

Yes, sometimes such pieces are thinly veiled marketing. But actually there's no real need to change the number or type of products you use on your skin because of age (though 'richer' formulations seem to increase in popularity as hormone levels change from perimenopause onwards). Just as there's no need to change the way you dress, if you still like it.

I think rejecting the ageism is an important step in loosening all the other unnecessary 'what women should' guff. It won't ever go away completely - we're talking about a multi-million dollar international business sector. But it could be made to work in ways that are more diverse.