Beauty forms an important subject of discussion among women. The society often sets certain standards according to which the appearance of a woman needs to conform. Moreover, such standards usually become stricter when the age grows. An older woman may notice that other people do not find her attractive anymore and try to pressurize her into looking younger. Such pressures affect the self-confidence of the person as well as her emotions and everyday life.
Pressure to Look Young
Various beauty standards are linked to youth, but societal pressure may make changes in the appearance of an older woman uncomfortable. The pressure to look young may be very strong. The older woman may feel the need to take care of her looks all the time and be afraid of other people’s opinion while trying to change her face, hair, skin or figure in order to gain approval. Thus, beauty standards may create an impression of problems associated with aging, which is natural for people.
As a result, the beauty standards undermine the self-respect of an older woman because when youth is considered as more important, older women feel less important. This is quite an unfair attitude since the value of a woman should not depend on age or appearance. All women deserve to be treated with respect at any age. Besides, the insistence on youth may cause the emotional tension since the older woman will analyze each change in her appearance, compare herself with younger women and feel unsatisfied with her body.
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Aging must not be taken as a time to feel ashamed and sad. In addition, feminist theories challenge these discriminatory beauty standards and emphasize the need for women to not be judged according to their appearance only. A woman consists of more than just her facial beauty, skin, hair, and body. Her thoughts, feelings, wisdom, and character are equally important. It is important that aging women have the freedom of aging naturally without being forced to follow the unrealistic standards of beauty. Hence, there is a need for changing the society’s attitude toward aging.
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It must not be seen as the end of beauty. At any age, a woman must be able to feel beautiful and comfortable about her natural beauty without hiding aging marks in order to get attention and respect from others. In conclusion, the current beauty standards create great pressure on aging women to maintain their youthfulness, hence impacting negatively their self-respect and self-esteem. Overall, an aging woman deserves respect, freedom, and the right to be beautiful in her natural form.
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