“Men age like wine. Women age like milk.”
Let’s think about this for a moment.
Is it really the case that women age poorly?
Both men and women get wrinkles as they age. Both men and women go through the normal processes of thinning and loosening skin.
Is it possible that — and please, suspend your disbelief for a moment:
The same patriarchy that assigns value to women based on their innocence and youthfulness has completely colored our views on what it means to be a beautiful woman?
Beauty can be a bigger word, encompassing many characteristics. Beauty can be found in the particular glint of an eye. It can be found in the way a woman carries herself. It can be found in strength, courage, intellect, and wisdom.
Its reduction to a narrow definition is brought to you by whiteness and male supremacy.
In this land of Patriarchy, a woman is beautiful if she is beautiful to the male gaze. I often hear women quip that “she didn’t put on makeup and get ready for a man- she did it for other women.” It makes me crinkle my nose, because women have also internalized the male gaze.
We judge each other based on it. So, really, the idea of what beautification entails remains the same.
