While society might have you believing otherwise, aging is a beautiful thing because it is proof of a life well-lived.
Right from advertisements to beauty brands, everyone is selling products that will make you look younger. While there is nothing good or bad about wanting to look younger, making it the only thing that is relevant or correct is not okay. Ting Ma—who goes by @tingmystyle on Instagram—spoke about how she is more than happy about her age and looks.
She begins her video by stating she absolutely does not want to look 35 years old when she is 53 years old. She asks a very valid question next, which will probably scratch your brain. She asks, "Why should I aim to appear younger than my age or hide it?" She is 53 years old and knows that she looks like it. However, she is very, very happy about it.
While explaining why she has no problem looking at her age, she says she has earned those 53 years with dignity. She goes on to say how she does not love anything more than her aged face. "The soft lines, the green hair, the age spots. They are the road map of a life well-lived," she says. For her, the proof of her age evident on her skin is no less than a badge of honor. With a lot of resolve and contentment on her face, she says, "Aging is a privilege that some are not fortunate enough to experience," and she is absolutely correct.
In the caption, she continues by saying how our society is obsessed with youth and that it is time to change that very narrative. She's never done any botox or fillers and absolutely loved her aged face, right from her shedding eyebrows and age spots to her gray hairs and wrinkles. She reiterates that aging is undoubtedly a privilege and that people obtain a different sense of confidence and inner strength than they ever had before. After all, like Ma says, "aging is something to be celebrated."
One woman with the username @leslb10, who was proud of her age and how she felt, said, "I couldn't agree more! I am 67 and I'm very grateful, proud and incredibly lucky to get to 67 because I was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer at age 60 and told I would only live another 8-12 months. I love the fact that I've come through lost and regained my hair 3x, changed shape, lost some definition in my face and gained wrinkles & lines but who cares?! I'm still here and I'm delighted when I meet other ladies who embrace their age & are authentically of their age and we are all enjoying life. Viva la life!!!"
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@frazier.rosia said, "Love You! And you are beautiful and your wisdom immense! Melanated skin remains younger looking longer. I'm not trying. I'm 55 and so glad to be rewriting the narrative of beauty with you!" @tdesolina said, "Yes! Yes! It seems everyone thinks it's a compliment to say we don't look our age. A strange cultural norm. Because, of course, I look 58 because I am 58. This IS what it looks like."