Are You Considered Ugly If You Are Over 50?

DO YOU LIKE YOUR AGE? ARE YOU FRIENDS WITH YOUR AGE?

The general consensus is that the age of 50 is more like the new 30. But we know it is the people 50+ making this statement and not those who are under the age of 50. So, the younger people laugh and say of course an old person is going to claim they are not old. But 50 is 50 no matter how you slice it right? Is it true 50+ year olds want to be 30 somethings?

On average, 69% of women aged 45–60 reported feeling at least six years younger than their chronological age. Women in their fifties still feel sexy, vibrant, beautiful and desirable. And the truth being told, women 50 and over, look fantastic if they have taken care of themselves throughout their lives. They are still dating, a part of the fashion scene, and active socially. That's why culture has added the word MILF.

The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Recon­structive Surgery (AAFPRS) conducted a survey of ap­proximately 500 women between the ages of 45–60 to find out what they think about the changing face of 50. The general consensus is that 50 is more like the new 30. 

Now, more and more men and women are not happy with just looking 10 years younger, mostly because they feel closer to 20 years younger. This is especially true in South Florida, where image and youth are very much looked at. People are invested in LOOKING younger because they are LIVING longer. In the past, they didn't care how they looked 50 and beyond because death was knocking at their door. That is no longer true. Today, for those 50 and over, looking younger isn't an attempt to be "in" with the 30 somethings with all of their problems the older person has already overcome. We don't WANT to be you. Been there done that.

Despite wars, economic upheaval, and climate change, global life expectancy has increased markedly over the past 70 years, from 45.7 years in 1950 to 72.6 in 2019; even with the drop caused by COVID-19, we are still outliving our parents and grandparents by a significant margin. Today, living into the 90s or even the 100s is more likely than ever before, particularly with a commitment to making healthy life choices, to say nothing of large-scale improvements in healthcare, sustainability and infrastructure that also increase longevity at the societal level.

All this added longevity necessitates a review of our career and health habits. Back in the day, people worked for 25-35 years, usually until they were in their late 50s. The average age of retirement in the United States was 59 in 1991; you would then expect maybe 10 more good years, 15 if you were lucky. By 2022, that average age had gone up to 66 — and now, people are living 20 to 30 years longer than that.

A 50-year-old who works out regularly and with high intensity intervals can be just as fit as someone three decades younger, according to a study in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. There is no magic the young have to looking good. They are not favored by the gods over the 50+ year olds. Granted, a 50-year-old will never look like a 20-year-old, but youth does not have the market on what is attractive and seen as beautiful and healthy. Young men and women are using all available resources they can find to also look their best. Cosmetic aisles and medical offices are not solely littered by desperate older people looking for the fountain of youth. All AGES look for ways to look and feel their best.

To physically look less than 50 a person can smooth out their forehead. Unless you have bangs, there is no easy way to conceal forehead wrinkles. And as one of the biggest signs of aging skin, a wrinkled forehead is one of the first things you will want to have fixed. Luckily, with non-invasive injectables like Botox, you can temporarily relax the muscles in your forehead, and smooth out your wrinkles in no time at all. ALL AGES USE BOTOX.

Getting rid of a double chin can be helpful to look younger. As you age, you start to gain fat in places of your body that you never dreamed of when you were in your twenties, including your chin. If you have started to develop a double chin and can’t seem to get rid of it with diet and exercise, Dr. Fiona Wright can help. By using non-invasive procedures like VelaCONTOUR, Dr. Wright can shrink the fat cells in your chin and give you back a more taut appearance.

Hollowed skin shows age and should go. It’s rare that you see an elderly individual with smooth, full skin. Once you hit your fifties, you may notice volume and collagen loss in your cheeks and across your face. Luckily, by using fillers like Restylane and Juvederm, Dr. Fiona Wright can plump up your face and give you back the glow you had in your twenties. On Tic Tok there are tweens showing you their facial cleansing and moisturizing regimen. Ageless beauty seems to take work and is not a punishment for aging.

Let’s face it: nobody wants to look their age. The young person can't wait to be an adult, older, and older people want to maintain their looks while enjoying the fruits of having aged.

One positive attribute of being 50 and beyond obtained and which does not want to be relinquished is age lends a sense of urgency to doing things you’ve put off and finishing things you’ve started. It also makes you deeply grateful for the fact that you’re still here. As a million memes attest to, ageing is a gift not everyone gets to enjoy.

The utter joy of not caring about stuff is one of the most thrilling developments of life many 50 and older relish. They still care about important things, but the small stuff seems to roll off of their backs more easily. 50's gives such joy to realize that it ALL doesn’t matter, and to let it go.

Once those 50+ realize and accept that the first flourish of youth and beauty has gone – that actually, it’s quite hard work keeping up with that too. Knowing that a FIRST flourish means there can be a SECOND flourish. Yes, beauty isn't a one-time fleeting occurrence. Wisdom, from living, teaches there is beauty in every stage in life in many different THINGS and WAYS. Personal, physical beauty is such a small part of living a full life. It seems 50+ can lend itself to having a beautiful MIND.

An aged person begins to know what suits them and stop worrying about it and focus more on what works for them. There’s a huge sense of relief in not being part of that rat race and to largely stop worrying about what other people think about you, and you find yourself doing what the hell you like. 

Hopefully as a person ages, reaching that half-a-century age, they become happier in their own skin, even if it’s not as pert as it used to be, and laugh more easily. With joy they have become better company; kinder, softer. That they let that hard, combative edge that used to make them challenging to spend time with, blunted, and they are a better person for it. Along with being kinder, hopefully also, comes the wisdom and the grace to say no to things more often – which is an act of being kind to oneself. 50+ can become a time of no longer doing crap that you’re supposed to like but secretly hate. Freedom is a beautiful thing in its own right. 

No one has to pity the 30-year-olds or those 50+.  Those 50 and beyond can remember life when it was so much harder at that age, having to fumble your way through life, trying to be a parent and career woman/man and trying to strap on a social life, and pretend to have it all when inside, you’re actually bewildered and exhausted. Those under 50 cannot even begin to want or desire a time when the workplace is saying they are no longer valued or needed, and the doctor is prescribing a new medication at each office visit for a new health concern. When the body crackles and aches with each move and there are lines on the face announcing your long journey of life.

For me, your age is just that, YOUR age. It has been filled with a life only you can live. The way you look at the time of your AGE has nothing to do with the soul, spirit, personality inhabiting the aged body. We need to think about the present that is wrapped under the tree on Christmas day. For a second, the recipient of the gift may exclaim how pretty the present is wrapped but then in a violent frenzy (most of the time) they tear off the wrapping with much anticipation to discover what is inside. Even the most horribly wrapped gift with the ugliest wrapping paper will never be declined to be opened.

Be the present that you are and hopefully, with an ounce of grace, the least thing a person will say about you in gratitude is, "IT WAS THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTED."