The Beauty Industry Is Done With The The Term 'Anti-Ageing' (And It's About Bloody Time)

Ageing is something that's gonna happen whether you like it or not, and time and time again beauty brands make bank as a result of condemning fine lines and wrinkles. It's biologically recognised that as you get older, the level of elasticity in your skin amongst other chemical elements changes, and you age. Despite that, there are still beauty products on the market guaranteed to turn back time and get you looking twenty years younger after using it once. Obviously, this is bullshit and doesn't actually happen, but in recognising the failure of [insert product name]'s ability to make you look 25 again, we're taught to search for an alternative rather than just sit back and embrace it all.

Fans of seasonal trends, the beauty industry has decided that phrases such as 'anti-ageing' are no longer en vogue, having tweaked their stance on ageing and repositioning it to embrace growing old gracefully.

So what will they call their 'miracle' products if they're not calling them 'anti-ageing'? Descriptions such as 'youth liberator' and 'line interception' are being batted around by brands, although - to me, at least - they sound more like Marvel's next superhero and an American football technique.

The movement encouraging a makeover on the industry's attitudes towards ageing was initiated by Allure magazine, which last week announced it would be banning the phrase 'anti-ageing'. Michelle Lee, Editor of Allure explained the title's decision, saying: 'Whether we know it or not, we're subtly reinforcing the message that ageing is a condition we need to battle. Changing the way we think about ageing starts with changing the way we talk about ageing.'

The decision came about after Dame Helen Mirren, aged 72, featured on the cover of the September issue. Speaking in an interview for the issue, she said: ‘I said, ‘This word ‘anti-ageing’ - we know we’re getting older. You just want to look and feel as great as you can on a daily basis’.

She then reminded us how amazing she is by adding how using a moisturiser 'probably does fuck all', which L'Oréal (where she's been the face of several campaigns) was probably really pleased to hear.

The issue branded itself 'The End Of Anti-Aging', which will stick out amongst the Vogues and of the world, where without fail, the September Issue always is bumper-sized and fashion-focused.

It's easy for us to overlook ageism in society because the messages and social stigmas surrounding ageing rather than race, gender, sexuality, size, and so on don't appear to be as subtle. I'd like to think that this means that the beauty industry will encourage its adjacencies, including fashion and media, to begin conducting themselves in a way in which focuses more on embracing rather than scrutinising.

Women face pressure with regards to their appearance from the get go, so I guess at least celebrating ageing rather than condemning it is a good start. As they're working on throwing ageism out of fashion, if the beauty industry could start working on racism, homophobia, genderphobia, ableism, fat phobia and everything else that's shit about it, then that would be great.