At Living M, we believe the way we talk about ageing in beauty needs to change. “Anti-ageing” has been a beauty byword for decades and advertising is still focused on the idea of “reversing time” and “gaining back your youth. But is this something women really want?
Maybe it’s something you’ve never thought about before but, whether we realise it or not, the term “anti-ageing” reinforces the idea that ageing is something we need to battle. It’s negative and it’s basically designed to make us feel bad about ourselves. Focusing on “deep wrinkles” and “sagging skin” is negative and derogatory and plays on our insecurities. The beauty industry should make you feel great about yourself.
At Living M we think its high time for a change. Ageing shouldn’t be something we fear. We’ve come a long way in recent years in terms of inclusivity but not much has changed in terms of the way we view mid-life women. Changing the way we feel about ageing starts with changing the way we talk about it.
Ageing Is Just Another Word For Living
There is a brilliant quote from the author Ashton Applewhite that we love – “Fear of dying is human, fear of ageing is cultural”. It’s so true, fear of ageing IS cultural. As a society we have been obsessed with youth for a long time. But things are slowly starting to change. When we talked to the lovely ladies in our Living M community, we found that many are no longer fixated with the wrinkles and sagging skin the beauty industry wants you to worry about. The holy grail for skincare these days for many is radiance. Achieving a glowing healthy complexion that allows you to look and feel the best version of yourself regardless of age.
You don’t need to “anti-age”, it’s your hormones
You might be surprised to learn that your hormones have a greater impact on your skin than chronological ageing. As we approach menopause our hormones start to fluctuate and decline and the effect on our skin can be dramatic. Loss of oestrogen especially causes collagen levels to decline and it can often feel as if your skin has changed overnight. Skin becomes drier, thinner and less radiant with a weakened skin barrier. It loses its ability to hold onto water leaving it dehydrated lacking in moisture. Cell turnover starts to slow rapidly as collagen levels drop off. To get great skin and look and feel your best in menopause you need to adopt a holistic approach. Diet, exercise, good nutrition and hydration as well as managing stress and taking care of your self are so important when it comes to managing your symptoms as well as your skin. Using the right ingredients that will make a real difference to counter the effects of menopause on skin is key.
Living M skincare has been designed with your hormones in mind. An expert blend of proven active ingredients with collagen boosting actives, super nourishing natural butters, antioxidants, and phytoestrogen to boost radiance, tone and glow. Free of all known irritants including fragrance, drying alcohol and essential oils, its also vegan, cruelty free and made in the UK in a fully recyclable pack.
A positive view of ageing is one of the values closest to our hearts at Living M – you’ll never see us use the term “anti-ageing”. Ageing is a fact of life and it’s also a privilege. Yes, we want to look and feel the best version of ourselves whatever our age but we don’t want to reverse time. It’s time the beauty industry caught up.
