Ageism Campaign Wants You To Embrace Wrinkles
Posted by: Leonora Epstein
Filed in:
style
11:50AM, Monday October 26th 2009
Being wrinkly makes you interesting? And here we’ve been obsessing about wrinkle creams and anti-aging beauty products, thinking that getting old is a big downer. This ad campaign, called “See The Person, Not The Age,” recently launched in Scotland and aims to fight ageism through wrinkled-up billboards that display slogans like these: “This is proof you can still have wrinkles and do a good job” and “Why don’t you notice people with wrinkles too?”
Could wrinkles ever really be thought of as “beautiful”? Why not? If this prevents just one person from feeling pressured to get Botox, it’s a very good thing. Why do wrinkles have to be so stigmatized anyway? What do you think of this campaign? Progressive? Or did you just wrinkle your nose? [StyleFrizz.com]
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bethlynn00
wrote on October 26 2009 @ 11:02 am: [report]
Nobody wants to get wrinkles, I know I do what I can to fight them, at the same time the scariness of what Botox does to your face is enough to make me want to embrace my wrinkles once they finally get here. I don’t think there is anything wrong with natural beauty, we all age, we all know we are going to age, so let it all hang out!
amandabear
wrote on October 26 2009 @ 11:45 am: [report]
The people who wrote “Everyone Poops” need to follow it up with “Everyone Ages.” You can take every precaution in the world but you’re still going to get older. It’s an incontrovertible fact of life and it’s so #&@$% up that we’ve managed to stigmatize it to the point where people get botulism injected into their faces to stave it off just a little while longer.
Shasta
wrote on October 26 2009 @ 12:11 pm: [report]
Let’s be honest here. Old may be interesting, but is sure as hell isn’t sexy.
People seem to think that fear of aging is some crazy-ass, unfounded fear. It’s real.
Women become invisible as they age. Invisible to the opposite sex that is. They morph into wise, asexual things prized for their matronliness.
I suppose it could be worse, we could be killed after menopause, but then who would watch the grandchildren while their daughters go out?
Being a woman really does have an expiration date.
It sux.
frozenjuice
wrote on October 26 2009 @ 10:14 pm: [report]
So glad to see more awareness being brought to ageism and more projects highlighting that it’s okay to not look 20 anymore!
I hope it continues and that in our lifetime women and men will be seen as beautiful and sexy at any age.
canadiancutie
wrote on October 26 2009 @ 11:11 pm: [report]
Well, it’s certainly interesting and touching on a little-discussed topic. Wrinkles are something I rarely think about since they don’t hit any of the women in my family until they’re well into their 70s.
clearbluesky
wrote on October 28 2009 @ 02:56 pm: [report]
I think that wrinkles are fabulous! There is nothing more beautiful than a man or a woman with laugh lines. An older person’s face is almost like a story—it shows character, and shows what they’ve been through during their lives.
ohheyitssophia
wrote on October 28 2009 @ 03:21 pm: [report]
Hey Shasta your comment (and of course, this post) made me feel like I have to comment-
This irrational fear of aging in American culture is MUCH worse than in almost every other culture on the planet, and the notion that women become invisible as they age is one a lot of people feel- BUT I’ve noticed it’s only as true as you make it.
My parents came here from Europe in the 80’s and my mom carries herself in a very un-American older woman way; she’s not invisible to the opposite sex because she doesn’t believe she is. She dresses tastefully but still in figure flattering clothes, and she wears tasteful makeup and keeps her hair in a “feminine” style like she did when she was younger. She’s nearing 60, but believe me- I’ve been out and about with her and caught plenty of (ok, older) men flirting with her!!
The whole wrinkles-are-death thing is definitely made a lot worse by Hollywood and its obsession with youth equaling beauty. There have been a few different well-established European actresses who’ve spoken out against Hollywood for these reasons. I think I remember Monica Bellucci (she’s Italian, older, and gorgeous- def. still a sex symbol in Italy too!) saying in an interview that she hates Hollywood and acting in America because it makes even her almost feel ashamed of her age, where it’s usually not an issue.
I think it’s not very different from the other stuff we’re fed about physical ideals- for example I’m a short and chubby size 12. According to every movie,tv show, actress example, men’s magazine article, etc… I am supposed to be too fat to be attractive yet I’ve NEVER had a shortage of men interested in / attracted to me. For most people, their looks are what they make of them; a disheveled older woman with wrinkles, who dresses sloppily and carries herself poorly will of course be seen as a matron! But an older woman who still views herself as hot stuff, and who dresses and carries herself in a more age-appropriate but still sexy manner will definitely have her fair share of admirers.
PS- a few of my guy friends are also into much older but still sexy women- and I’m not just talking about botoxed, big fake boobed older ladies!