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.

To me the most patronising bit is the tagline ... the most exciting new voices in beauty vlogging are over 60.

When they actually mean product plugging.

Seneca I mean why not men as well when it comes to age and looking good although, now I write that, yes it is sexism. You are right. Thanks.

I can't get worked up about this one.
It's an article about beauty and make up vloggers and there aren't a great number of men of any age who do that let alone a 70 + year old man!

The older you get the more the foundation you wear emphasizes every line. That is a simple fact and also the main reason for two things.
1, sales of "age defying" products is on the increase.
2, many older women stop wearing full face make up because it makes them look older.
It is an odd curve we go through. When we start at 13 the makeup makes us look older, and then when we reach middle age it makes us look younger, after menopause it makes us look older again.
That is the consensus of my over 70 age group.

I'm so thankful I have makeup free older women to model myself on, to aspire to have their wisdom and mental stature, to emulate their contribution to society. Looks are becoming less and less important to me as I age and grow. I hope I will have completely abandoned make-up for good by the time I am 70 as all the women I most admire of that age have.

Although to be fair the women I most admire never wore it in the first place.

Why shouldn't a 70 year old woman be interested in how she looks? I'm sure I will be, whether that includes using make up or not. I think the idea that you should be above such things by then is quite an insidious piece of ageism.

Make up geek here. placematshave you tried nars audacious lipsticks? They're exceptional in texture and have some incredible colours.

I’ve never worn make up and I’m 62!
I certainly won’t be starting when I’m 70, either. When will the Guardian be running articles telling 70 year old men how to groom their nose and ear hair? Oh, silly me - appearance only matters for us empty headed shallow little women, doesn’t it.

What specifically don't you like about the lipsticks you've tried, placemats? Knowing that might help any resident makeup lovers steer you towards something that would work better for you.

(Personally I like makeup for going out in the evening but usually don't bother with it otherwise, so it's kind of an all or nothing thing. In no way am I under the illusion that my decision to wear it when I do is feminist or empowering or any of that guff, but you can never fully take the goth out of the former Manic Panic loving girl no matter how old she gets.)

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.
Yes, well said.

For me, my 'beauty regime' consists of DON'T GIVE A SHIT.

When will the Guardian be running articles telling 70 year old men how to groom their nose and ear hair?

Can they? Because whether or not a woman is wearing makeup makes no difference to me, but I'm not sure anyone enjoys seeing another person's nose hair.

Thanks madmomma xx Will check them out. I like palish pink colours.

I don't wear make up, foundation, unless for a special occasion. I do like to keep my lips moisturised as they tend to get dry.

I would love men to be given articles on grooming. How many people on here have teenage sons who do the hour in the shower?

I've decided to go for Lancome.

Lipstick only and it will last me a long time. (plus it's cheaper than nars)

"Why shouldn't a 70 year old woman be interested in how she looks?"

I don't think anyone said they shouldn't.

I don't enjoy paying attention to my appearance so the time I have given it has been in response to social pressure. At the time I felt invested in it but I didn't like myself for it because I knew I wasn't being my best version of me; the me I wanted to be, at least not after my early twenties.

If I had been born male I would have been able to skip over all of that.

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

It is written off not just as a women's interest but an interest for women who are a bit dim

This type of thread always has posters queuing up to say that it is no interest to them and how much they admire women who have no interest in this sort of thing.

I particularly like the sneering tone of high mindedness as if wisdom and mental stature, and the ability to make a contribution to society is only possible if one ignores this.

Come on Lass, you know full well the point of the OP isn't that some women over 60 want beauty tips. It's that the article is about women only. Only women want to look nice in old age, only women have to worry about looks. If half the bloggers were dapper older men showing off their tie collections this wouldn't be in FWR

If half the bloggers were dapper older men showing off their tie collections this wouldn't be in FWR

There are loads of male YouTubers who vlog about style and make up. Such is the hypocrisy of some FWR posters that one of them, John McLean had a whole thread devoted to how wonderful he is (which he indeed is)

There are posters on this thread who have contributed nothing other than saying they have no interest in make up or how they look. Bully for them.

There are posters equate this with having wisdom and mental stature. The tone of some posts is far more patronising than the article being complained of.

Older men aren’t judged on their looks to the extent older women are though.

I particularly like the sneering tone of high mindedness as if wisdom and mental stature, and the ability to make a contribution to society is only possible if one ignores this

Hear Hear.

There are loads of male YouTubers who vlog about style and make up. Such is the hypocrisy of some FWR posters that one of them, John McLean had a whole thread devoted to how wonderful he is (which he indeed is)

Then Lass, don't you think he should have been included in the Guardian article? Isn't that the point I just made, and I believe the OP as well- and probably many other posters here.

The issue is not about makeup it's about only discussing women, because only women care about this sort of thing.

Even though actually, lots of us don't. That's not smugness it's merely pointing out the fact that having a vagina does not make you at all more likely to enjoy lipstick.

Also, the defensiveness you see ("I don't like makeup etc") is a direct response to these articles.

If women are meant to be enthralled by other women wearing clothes and we are not enthralled, the implication is that we are the ones who have got it wrong. We have fucked up at womanhood. So yes, you will have posters rant about makeup and clothes because they've just once again been sold a load of gendered bollocks about what they should like.

The same way if I posted that women should all wear jeans because dresses are shit and women should all be mountain climbing you would bristle and tell me that I was chatting shite.

It's an article on older beauty bloggers - most of whom are women, yes (there are some gay men bloggers, though). Style blogs by men tend to focus more on clothes or accessories. If anything, the article is giving visibility to older women who like to blog about beauty.

To be honest, I find it hard to get worked up about this. The article isn't telling anyone to do anything. It's showcasing some women who are unusual in the beauty industry.