Do we have to fight aging?

Fine lines, age spots, and those horrible things called wrinkles. No, this isn’t a pre-Halloween horror story; it’s a look at why we find these absolutely natural aspects of aging so horrible. Going back centuries, since the time of Cleopatra, women have been trying to reverse their skin’s aging. We’ve done everything from sitting in baths of donkey milk (Cleopatra) to placing slices of raw meat on our faces (c.a. 1500’s Britain) to now getting botox and fillers. We’ve been obsessed, meticulous, and calculated with our assessment of our skin and our subsequent search for any remedy to “signs of aging”. But has it gone too far? 

Mia Dio Example

We’re now in a time where every other salon offers injectables, where you can walk in one day and have 1ml of filler placed in your lips, and where the moment you decide to, you can permanently alter your face with botox, an injectable, unlike filler, that does not go away and cannot be dissolved. Influencer, Mia Dio, recently made a YouTube video explaining her entire plastic surgery journey, sharing that the first time she got fillers she “used a fake I.D. at the age of 16”. Unequivocally, there is no judgment towards Mia Dio and her decisions with her own appearance and body, however her testimony is an illustration of the current beauty landscape. That said, there’s a giant hole in the beauty discourse. While everyone’s skin and aging journey is entirely a personal undertaking, it’s important to discuss the other side of aging, the side least talked about — aging gracefully. 

And Lyn Slater

We’re bombarded with information around “anti-aging” but we hardly hear stories from the women who’ve embraced their age. Dr. Lyn Slater, a “reformed influencer” and author, speaks about aging a lot on her page. Lyn’s bio reads, “Fashioning a modern, relevant older life” which stood out as important in this conversation. We don’t typically find older-lives to be relevant anymore. We look at them as something different, mature, and above the daily struggles of young people, but as life expectancies get longer and we outlive predictions older life, much like aging, is something we can’t avoid and shouldn’t run away from.

A place for women who want to age gracefully

Through her Instagram posts and substack articles, it’s clear that Lyn’s popularity is much more than superficial. She’s created a space online where a lot of older women didn’t see themselves before, carving a path that says it’s okay to age. Her photos are unedited, showing off her 70 years around the sun proudly, and wearing her experiences without regard to how “old” she might look. Lyn’s story is rare, with few older women put into the spotlight to share theirs, but these stories are important. When our digital space is filled with the constant reminders that our worth is tied to how youthful we are, just look at Bryan Johnson who spends almost two million dollars a month trying to fight aging,  it’s refreshing to see that that simply is just not the case — that even as we age, our worth does not diminish.

There are a lot of ways to age

Getting botox and fillers, or any cosmetic procedure, is a personal decision, one hopefully made with a very good doctor or esthetician, but one that shouldn’t be made lightly. In a world where it feels like everyone’s doing it, remember that there are many different ways to age. There’s no right way to go through life, and certainly not when it comes to your body. 

*Lyn writes a substack where she shares her thoughts on aging, and in March 2024 an accumulation of those thoughts will be published in her book, How To Be Old which can now be pre-ordered.