A New Look at Beauty, Aging and Power

"It seems to me that the years between eighteen 

and twenty-eight are the hardest, psychologically. 

It’s then you realize this is make or break, you no 

longer have the excuse of youth, and it is time to 

become an adult – but you are not ready." Helen Mirren.

I am currently 19. I'm at the stage of becoming an adult and to be honest, it's terrifying. I don't want to grow up but I know that it is part of life and something we all must go through. I tend to think a lot about the future and I know I shouldn't but I sometimes freak out. I cannot imagine a world where I am the parent and my parents are no longer here. I fear losing my loved ones and  I fear aging. Aging means facing mortality. I know we all die one day but for now I live in denial. I know I do not fully comprehend the "beauty of aging" and I hope that I can appreciate it when I am in my 30's. We age every second, it is part of being human. And I hope I can live my life to the fullest and not live in fear. ~ Sandy

I think we are all too young to understand the power of aging beauty. However, I am sure we have our own ideas along with the ideas of our mothers, grandmothers, aunts, and friends who all have there own ideas about getting older and the negative connotations that come with age. Within the past five years or so I have become aware of my mothers personal various images and ideas that she has about getting older. On the verge of a very big birthday, my mother is avoiding her aging ways by stressing to me the importance of being young and enjoying life. She is baffled by the constant need to dye her gray hairs, address her under-eye creases and be physically fit. Although I believe she is beautiful just the way she is, we all have our own insecurities and aging has become a constant my mother would rather avoid. While we all may fear aging, it is in fact inevitable. Looking at the beauty of aging and the power it holds might help women feel more comfortable and confident about aging. I think the quote, “We have to be able to grow up. Our wrinkles are our medals of the passage of life. They are what we have been through and who we want to be,” helps to look at aging in a more beautiful poetic light. ~ Chelsea     

Different societies and cultures have strong influences on our thoughts and ideas of beauty. For now, I don’t think any of us should have that fear of growing old since we’re all still relatively young. I mean maybe it will hit some of us later in life, but I agree with the idea that you’re as young as you feel. I have older relatives who all constantly dye their grey hairs or are engaged in social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. They want to keep up with what’s happening and fit into a different generation so they wouldn’t feel so old. Aging scares so many of us because of the physical changes we see, but at the same time aging can be seen as a good thing because with age comes wisdom and experience. I think to avoid the fear of physically aging you really have to take care of yourself in the early years by watching what you eat, exercising, and just staying healthy. ~ Ashley

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There is absolutely nothing wrong with aging. Personally, I see there is beauty with aging. There are women that age well than others but in the end everyone is going through the same road. Sometimes I do worry about myself aging and getting all the effects with it. I don’t think I would focus on getting wrinkles off my face or getting any surgical procedures. The only thing that I would probably do is continue to die my hair but that’s about it. Being a female is already hard as it is and the social media around us pressures us to the feeling of looking a specific way. 

My mom is going through the phase were she is noticing her aging and she feels like she is getting “old.” She is currently 42 yeas old and I do not see her as getting old. There are times were I am out with her and people confuse her for my sister. In our own eyes, we feel like we have so many flaws and attributes we would like to change on ourselves. The perspectives of other people might be

 different, while you see the flaws they

 see you as perfection. ~Brenda