The conversation around ageing is finally shifting to a new frontier: anti-ageing, with a string of high-profile women challenging what it means to age ‘gracefully’.
Not so long ago, ‘anti-ageing’ was the ‘It’ term of the beauty world. All manner of potions, procedures and practitioners were promising to ‘take years o! ’ and ‘turn back the clock’. But ‘anti-ageing’ is a flawed concept. Not only is getting older inevitable but the term is filled with negative connotations, implying that fine lines and grey hairs – all those unavoidable parts of getting older – are something to be ashamed of. In truth, it’s just another unrealistic beauty standard women have had to adhere to. But not anymore.
Finally, the narrative is being flipped, spearheaded by a growing number of high-profile women who are embracing ageing and encouraging others to do the same.
Take Andie MacDowell. The Hollywood darling has been outspoken about how she had a longstanding desire to show off her salt-and-pepper strands – even if her management team were against the idea in the beginning. While it happened by chance (MacDowell’s dyed hair started to grow out during the pandemic), she says she liked the way she looked and the way it made her feel.
“I’ve never felt more powerful. I feel more honest. I feel like I’m not pretending. I feel like I’m embracing right where I am. I feel really comfortable. And in a lot of ways, I think it’s more striking on my face. I just feel like it suits me.”
Supermodel Paulina Porizkova is another supporter of the movement, taking to Instagram regularly to go bare-faced and filter-free (hashtagged #greypride).
“Ageing gracefully? In our culture, for women, this means preserving your youth. Or at least, look like it. Or remove yourself from the world to sit and ponder the past while you serve those in need. Well, so, yeah. F*** that,” she posted earlier this year.
“Ageing is the privilege of living a long life. You can fight it or accept it. But there is a third choice. Embrace it” says Paulina Porizkova. “Embracing it means both acceptance and battle. Accepting there are inevitable changes on the inside and the outside. And both are valuable. As your inner power grows, your wrinkles reflect the time you’ve spent getting more powerful. Fighting is better spent not on the denial of age, but rather putting it to work. Fight to keep your body healthy. Fight to stay curious and flexible. Fight the shame that’s heaped on you to tell you you no longer matter. Fight to be seen and valued for the person you have become. Here’s to embracing age – for both the good and the bad, because that’s living!”
Even Sarah Jessica Parker has fought back against those who called her ‘brave’ for letting her grey hair peek through. “It became months and months of conversation about how brave I am for having grey hair,” she told Allure. “I was like, please, please applaud someone else’s courage on something!”
Of course, the movement isn’t about letting yourself go completely. Rather, it’s about looking and feeling your best without feeling pressure to succumb to those unrealistic societal standards. Whether that means going au naturel or embracing a few cosmetic procedures along the way, the key is to embrace ageing on your own terms.
Perhaps what we can all aspire to is to one day be like Apo Whang-Od, a traditional tattoo artist from the Kalinga region of the Philippines who became the oldest-ever person to appear on the cover of Vogue when she fronted Vogue Philippines in April.
At 106, her eyes are tender but wise, her skin is inscribed with the stories of her past and her attitude, we learn in the accompanying story, is as bold and badass as ever.
In this edition of JONES 2023, we speak with one of our original ambassadors, supermodel Lauren Hutton, who reflects on beauty, million-dollar contracts and knowing your worth.