A former beauty journalist has expressed regret for perpetuating what she now calls lies about anti-ageing during her career in the Noughties and 2010s. Reflecting on old articles, she admitted to using phrases like 'anti-ageing' and implying that visible ageing was a problem to be fixed, which she now considers misleading.
The journalist, who wrote for beauty websites and parenting magazines, said she encouraged readers to spend money on expensive creams and serums with promises of transformation. She now believes these claims were unrealistic and placed undue pressure on women to look younger.
She noted that the language of the time framed ageing as a failure, and she unwittingly contributed to that narrative. Now in her fifties, she advocates for skincare as a confidence-boosting ritual rather than a solution to ageing.
Her reflections come as she researched her novel about a middle-aged beauty journalist facing appearance-related pressure. She hopes to shift the conversation towards self-acceptance rather than anti-ageing.
