A Woman’s Appearance After 50

One Queensland university has completed an Australian first by initiating a study on how women react to physical changes as they age.

The study, being run by Central Queensland University, is asking hundreds of women over 50 a series of questions to gain knowledge on their feelings about changes to their appearance as they age, and how they react.

Professor Lynne Parkinson, who is working on conjunction with psychological science honours student Helen Sariban, said, “We are interested to know if women are comfortable with the changes, or whether there is anxiety around ageing.”

“The statistics on people using anti-ageing strategies are quite high. There is a massive and well-advertised industry of anti-ageing products and services – it could be anything from dying your hair to facelifts or implants and other cosmetic surgery,” she said.

With about 7.7 million Australians over the age of 50, and 20 per cent of those accounting for the $673 million spent annually on the cosmetics market, middle-aged and older women are a key market for the $1-billion-per-annum cosmetic surgery industry.

“We want to explore women’s motivations,’’ Prof Parkinson said.

“It could be about looking after yourself, enjoying a bit of a treat, feeling good. But if there is real anxiety behind it, that’s not good.

“That’s ageist against oneself. Ageing is something normal and wonderful.’’

One of the aims of the research is to discover how Australian women’s attitudes differ from those overseas. The researchers expect to find differences between cities and rural communities.

“We suspect it is not such a big issue in rural areas,’’ Prof Parkinson said.

The number of Australians aged 65 and over is set to more than double in the next four decades.

“If a significant proportion are anxious about ageing and the changes to their appearance, that’s something we need to talk about.’’

Prof Parkinson said they chose the age of 50 because “that’s about the age when people start getting serious about these things. From 50, you notice things dropping and wrinkling.’’

In talking with The Courier Mail, Channel 7 newsreader Kay McGrath said while ageing “can be a bitch’’, it’s better than the alternative, and the later years can be a prime time for women, depending on their attitude.

“A number of years ago, I embraced (singer) Dusty Springfield’s ethos that I’m living my days, not counting my years,” she said.

“There are three important things – looking after your physical health, nurturing your brain, and working on your attitude.’’

The 58-year-old said while there were definitely pressures and expectations of how women should look in public, especially on television, outward appearance could also be affected by how a person felt about themselves.

“As long as you stay physically fit, I think you send out a younger energy anyway and people overlook the wrinkles and saggy bits.’’

McGrath told the paper she exercises at the gym at least twice a week, walks regularly, and does frequent mindfulness meditation.

She said she was not a big fan of cosmetic surgery and believed it would send the wrong message to other women.

If you would like to participate in the study, you can do so by following this link.