Beauty and the Aging Beast

If we believe we are defined by who we are, then we can carry that knowledge with confidence and defy any kind of aging. Note to Self: Must sew up hole in pocket or start carrying confidence somewhere else.

I’m proud to be over fifty and hope to have many more years of Riding Wild. I fought cancer and won. I don’t take life for granted, but time can take its toll and we will be judged by how we look

That said, I think it’s unfortunate that it has become the norm to run to plastic surgeons for injections and procedures, sometimes with very unnatural results. When did the stretched out upper lip ever fool anyone into thinking the woman looked much younger? I’m not against these procedures, per se, just the injections by fluid ounce.

I wonder if women have lost perspective on aging. Don’t get me wrong. I am waging my own battle with the beast, but within reason.

I think it comes down to acceptance and expectations, something that existed decades ago. The majority of my mother’s generation didn’t even color their hair. It was unheard of to have plastic surgery in Wisconsin when she was my age. Facelifts were for movie stars. Now it has become affordable and accessible. Botox parties have become the rage. I haven’t been invited to any. Have you? With this increase in pressure, most women expect to look much younger than their age and they won’t accept anything less.

I attended an Arbonne Skin and Body Care party where the saleswoman made statements like, “You don’t want to look old, do you?” and, “Neck wrinkles age you.” Everyone scanned the room while I pulled the neckline of my shirt up over my nose. I was so self-conscious. I have very sensitive skin and Arbonne has the only anti-aging line I can use. I am satisfied with the product, but not with the message. 

We are being brainwashed into thinking aging is bad, bad, BAD, and should be avoided at all costs. I think it’s inevitable. No matter what you do, the years will eventually catch up if we’re lucky enough to live that long. Pshhh! I expect to resemble a Shar pei when I’m 100-years-old!

Repeat after me: Wrinkles are beautiful. Wrinkles are beautiful. Wrinkles are beautiful. Your eyelids are getting heavy. You’re getting sleepy. When you wake up, you will be happy with your looks. Okay. You can stop repeating everything I say. It’s getting really annoying.

How I am dealing with a few of my own aging body parts:

Smile lines – I’ve always been a happy person, so I earned them in my mid-twenties.

Frown lines – The appearance of muscles between my brows are a direct result of squinting. I do want to prevent them from becoming so deep they could hold a pencil, so I wear reading glasses and massage the tissue to break them down. Good enough.

Lip lines. I’ll take the trade off and live with a few of them instead of having an enlarged beaklike upper lip. I use Burt’s Bees lip balm before applying lipstick. Honestly, I’m lucky if I even apply lipstick before running out the door.

Age spots. They are the direct result of SIS – Shitty Irish Skin. My dermatologist couldn’t keep up with freezing my spots off during my annual exam. I have zillions of them! I think that if I had used my anti-aging face wash all over my body the last few decades, I wouldn’t have any.

My Bride of Frankenstein hair – I may have more white hair than brown, so I dye it auburn. Yep. I will continue to indulge in hair color.

Losing muscle tone – I had a partial knee replacement and am waaay behind in recovery. My muscles became shrinky dinky after surgery due to swelling. I worked with my PT and even started on protein shakes, but discovered 10 CCs of fluid in a joint will prevent your muscles from working, so they remained shrinky dinky. My doctor pulled 20 cc’s of blood out of my joint last Monday and then flooded it with steroids. The good news? They kicked in over the weekend and I’m ready to hit the gym again, hard. Getting into shape holds no age boundaries. 

Saggy butt – I never look back there.

Bionic boobs – My fake boobs will always defy gravity, but I hope the scars will eventually fade.  I may consider nipple tattoos!

Aging is a given. There’s no reason to get obsessed or depressed about it. There is nothing better than life with all its ups and downs and it’s going to leave its mark.

My advice: Instead of putting so much time into improving your shell, work on your core. Confidence shines brighter than any tightened, lightened, stretched, or plumped up skin. Take care of your body. Eat healthy foods and exercise. Learn something new. Spend time doing what you love with people who care about you. Work hard on your goals and eventually you’ll accomplish a few. There is no better confidence booster.

I have adjusted to what is acceptable for my age and expect to appear older as I rack up the years. I want to celebrate my 100^th birthday, so bring it on LIFE, even if it means the addition of a few more wrinkles!

I love my scars, wrinkles, and everything else that makes up this crazy person called Susie Lindau. Whoa! I talked about myself in the third person. I don’t have that big of an ego…I better put confidence back in my pocket full of holes where it belongs. 

Do you accept your wrinkles or throw your mirror against the wall? How many mirrors do you go through in a week? How far will you go to look young? 

 

This post is a part of August McLaughlin’s Beauty of a Woman Blogfest.