What 50 Looks Like in the 2020s
"There's a reason why 40, 50, and 60 don't look the way they used to, and it's not because of feminism or better living through exercise. It's because of hair dye." —Nora Ephron
At the time, the internet was buzzing about a meme that pointed out that the cast of The Golden Girls were the same age during filming as the cast of And Just Like That..., the Sex and the City sequel series.
People were flabbergasted that both shows depicted women in their 50s. The stark difference in the appearance of these women—and their vastly different storylines in each series—highlights a broader cultural shift in how society perceives aging women. (And, more importantly, how aging women perceive themselves!)
We welcome this shift because youth has been made synonymous with beauty and desirability for generations.
And we're over it.
For far too long, society has had a skewed picture regarding what women "should look like,” "should want” and "should be doing" at certain ages. The media has finally started to recognize that women don't disappear or lose value after 40. Slowly, we're seeing more complex roles for older women in Hollywood, and we're seeing older women in advertising more often.
They're finally learning what we've known all along: Older women are beautiful, vibrant, and multidimensional. Women are aging better than ever today because we are pushing back on the outdated idea that we're past our prime at 50 or 60.
Read on to learn more about why women today are only getting better with age!
We're Aging Better Because We Practice Self-Care
"Getting older makes you more alive. More vitality, more interest, more intelligence, more grace, more expansion." —Jamie Lee Curtis
As we age, we tend to pay more attention to whole-body health: mind, body, and spirit. We know that better aging is measured in how we feel, instead of the number of wrinkles or gray hairs we have.
Self-care is something we prioritize today but that wasn't really on the radar for past generations. Of course, many of our mothers and grandmothers went to the beauty salon, but self-care for the sake of mental and spiritual well-being wasn't as common.
Today we know that taking a moment to rest and recharge has moved beyond being a luxury—and the recent pandemic really brought this to light as women not only turned to moments of self-care to break up the monotony of lockdown but to also give their mind, body and spirit some much-needed respite.
Researchers have found that women who regularly engage in self-care practices (whether booking a full-body massage, prioritizing weight management, or taking an hour to sweat it out at the gym) suffer less depression, anxiety, and even physical illnesses like heart disease! Self-care doesn't just feel good—it provides real benefits for better aging!
Even something as small as carving out time to read a good book, preparing a healthy meal, or spending an evening pampering yourself with a facial or deep conditioning hair treatment counts. (Our Hair Redemption Restorative Butter Masque is an excellent option for a night of pampering! It's packed with healthy plant butters for a luxe, ultra-moisturizing hair treatment that melts into strands, leaving them soft and shiny!)
We're Aging Better Because We Know What We Want—and We Go After It!
"I don't think about my life in terms of numbers. First of all, I ain't never gonna be old because I ain't got time to be old." —Dolly Parton
In our youth, we worried about our path in life and when things like marriage, kids, and careers would happen to us. But as we age and learn more about ourselves and what we truly want, we realize that life doesn't have just one path.
Tons of women in their 40s, 50s, 60s, and beyond, reinvent themselves every day by going after their dreams. Laverne Cox was considering graduate school because acting hadn't panned out for her when she got her breakthrough role in Orange Is the New Black. Naomi Campbell and Janet Jackson became mothers at 50. Yuh-Jung Youn finally won an Academy Award at 73 for Minari. And Ina Garten reinvented her brand and her cooking career at 50!
We are still pushing and challenging ourselves in our 50s and 60s, and we recognize more than ever that we have the power to add to our current path or choose a new one entirely. We're not too old, and it's not too late!
We're Aging Better Because We Ignore the "Shoulds"
"I’m the sexiest I’ve ever been. And when I say that, I mean I feel the most myself." —Tracee Ellis Ross
As we enter our 50s and 60s, it's freeing to turn down the volume on what others think and to focus instead on what we want. Instead of thinking about what we should do, we’re prioritizing the things and people in our lives that fulfill us, bring us joy, and represent how we actually feel inside and out.
"As we grow older, we learn what we can control and what we cannot control. It’s almost liberating when you arrive at the realization that age brings so many freedoms," says Jill Angelo, co-founder and CEO of Gennev. "Freedom from worrying what others think about you. Freedom from raising small children. Freedom from obligation. We get to determine how much aging impacts us—whether we lean into it or allow it to make us feel lesser than. I choose the former!
The only thing aging women should do is throw out the "shoulds" and the insecurities that come with them. We thrive when we lean into the freedoms aging provides, especially the freedom from worrying constantly about what others think. Happiness and contentment look beautiful on us, don't you think?
We’re Aging Better Because We Dress for Ourselves
"And a reporter said to me, kindly, 'Oh, you don’t look 40.' And I said, just off the top of my head, 'This is what 40 looks like—we’ve been lying for so long, who would know?'" —Gloria Steinem, on turning 40
By the time we hit 50, we know ourselves well, and we understand our personal style. And instead of chasing every trend as we may have done in our youth, we're much more discerning than we were in our 20s and 30s.
(And thank goodness—our eyebrows are still recovering from the pluck-a-thon of the 1990s! To save us from our younger selves, we swear by our Superpower Night & Day Brow Enhancing Duo to give us healthy, less sparse brows in as little as 2 weeks!)
As older women, we know what we like and what we don't like, and we certainly aren't falling for the appearance stereotypes that society has for older women. It’s not society’s role to determine how we should look or dress! Fashion doesn't mean boring after 50, gray hair isn’t unstylish or unattractive, and we don't have to cater our style to our age—our style is whatever we want it to be. These days, more women than ever are keeping longer hair as they age, and women are also eschewing hair dye and embracing their natural hair color as they go gray.
And we are here for it!
If you're keeping your natural grays, there's no substitute for purple shampoo to help your gorgeous gray locks look healthy and true to color. Our paraben- and sulfate-free Silver Lining Purple Brightening Shampoo hydrates and smooths mature locks while D&C Violet 2 reduces brassiness to help brighten and boost the vibrancy of gray hair!
"Age is no barrier. It’s a limitation you put on your mind." —Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Better Not Younger knows that today's women are only getting better with age. That's why we stay at the forefront of hair care specifically designed for women over 40. Whether you need a completely new hair-care regimen or just want a little something luxurious to add to your self-care routine, Better Not Younger has you covered. Let us help you achieve your best, most vibrant hair yet!
Tell Us: What wisdom about better aging do you wish you could share with your younger self? Share your favorite tips and tricks for loving your age in the comments below!
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