Most women recoil when asked how old they are, as they believe that revealing their age can influence how people perceive their beauty. The pressure from society to keep looking younger is so great that a staggering quarter of all women feel judged on how old they look by the people around them.
According to new global research conducted by Dove, only 10 percent of women are proud to reveal how old they are and will often conceal their real age. Dove is committed to a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety and has created a short film, How Old Are You? to inspire women to celebrate their beauty at every age.
“In a world where youth is synonymous with beauty, women feel that they have to look young to be considered beautiful.” said Sphelele Mjadu, Dove PR Manager. “Dove produced How Old Are You? to encourage women to reconsider their beauty and understand that they are beautiful regardless of their age.”
Age is a source of anxiety for all women, which generally peaks in their early thirties, but is felt as early as in their teens. How Old Are You? raises the question about when women start to feel anxious about their age. The film shows girls proudly stating their age while women avoid the question.
Girls mirror their mother’s behaviours about beauty, confidence and self-esteem and it is important that mothers recognize the beauty in themselves at every age to set positive examples for their daughters. Encouraging women and the next generation to develop a positive relationship with beauty can help raise their self-esteem and thereby enable them to realize their full potential.
Avoiding the Age Question
Answering ‘that’ question makes most women unhappy. Revealing their age makes them focus on the negativity associated with ageing and further fuels anxiety about the way they look. 1 in 4 women use a negative description about their appearance when asked how old they are, including words like “old” and “too fat”. In fact, the age question makes women feel so uncomfortable that 2 in 5 women have pretended to be younger and will often avoid celebrating their birthday.
Be Your Beautiful Self
By asking women How Old Are You, Dove invites women to consider how they feel when they reveal their age and the impact this has on them every day. See the film and join the conversation at #BeautyAtEveryAge. Visit Dove’s Facebook page or follow @Dove_ZA on Twitter for more information.