Why does “anti-aging” sound normal and “pro-aging” sound weird? It might be because we’re brainwashed by a culture selling youth to consumers that will pay for it at any price. Who says wrinkles are ugly? Maybe it's not said explicitly, but the multi-billion dollar skincare industry most definitely implies it. Unless you count sunscreen, no “anti-aging” remedies are effective in the ability to stop our aging. If I was going to start a skincare line today, I would call it 'Pro-aging".
Aging is living and living is aging.
The truth is that this multi-billion dollar industry has been my career for many years and I have enjoyed and benefitted from every minute of it. I think that the beauty industry should be more about selfcare, well-care, fun and play than people changing themselves to please others. I see beauty as an extension of fashion. We could all walk around in burlap bags, but nobody wants to do that. And why would we? Fashion is a celebration of the human body (in all forms), as well as an expression of creativity and individualism for the creator and the person who wears it. Not to mention fashion is fun.
Beauty is the same. Nothing is going to make you look 25 years younger, but beauty (including skincare) is about ceremony, celebration and adornment. It's tribal at its roots and ritualistic in our celebration of ourselves. Hence: Fun, Play. I am an avid skincare user, I have regularly scheduled facials and I understand the importance of taking care of myself. I am focused on preventing premature aging. Selfcare makes us feel good. I wear makeup to work and I have a quick 10 minute face that I can put on. When I go out at night, I like to take my time, experimenting, using new things in new ways, and I enjoy that time with myself. I don't think that any of it is changing the appearance or covering up my actual age to anyone. The goal isn't to put up a façade. The goal is to feel beautiful, which applies to everyone, no matter their stage in life.
Anti-aging is not a real thing. It's a marketing strategy that we all bought into. As each second passes, we are all getting older. We need to dial back the anti-aging and the perfectionist goals, they're not real. What is most important in life is to be healthy and happy. You will glow from the inside out, and that's beautiful at any age.