We want slow-age instead of anti-age
Slow-age is the new black in the beauty world. While, earlier on, we couldn’t seem to get enough of anti-age products, the time is now ripe to stop desperately fighting our age and racing against the clock. Whether we want to admit it or not, we can’t turn back time and change the way it affects our looks. Factors such as stress, pollution, diet and sun exposure will always influence the way our skin looks, and even though we make sure to take good care of it, we will never be able to outrun the ageing process. That doesn’t mean we can’t do something about it. It’s just something different. Instead of thinking negatively about ageing with a term like anti-age, which makes ageing sound like something we ought to fear, we should rather embrace slow-age by living life more slowly and in this way maintain our natural beauty. This way of thinking is an indirect consequence of the whole slow-movement of the 1980s which first manifested itself in our food habits, through slow-food, and later spread out into other areas of life such as travel and lifestyle. And now, the trend has spread to our beauty habits. The mental hamster wheel This has inspired the French beauty company Vichy to research how internal and external influences accumulate in the skin and impact the ageing processes. Nine years of research shows that even though most of the signs of ageing – lines, wrinkles, larger pores, dullness – stem from external influences, the process of our skin changing is not one that just progresses rapidly with unwavering consistency. First of all, you can shield your skin by using the right ingredients, second, you can slow down the speed of the ageing process by stepping on the mental breaks. This holistic approach to beauty care suggests that we ought to listen to experts other than those who focus exclusively on beauty. One of those experts is author and motivational speaker Lisbett Wedendahl, 47, who is the author of the books “Fred begynder med mig” (Eng. “Peace begins with me”) and “Hjertestarter” (Eng. “Defibrillator”), in which she highlights getting off the mental hamster wheel, love yourself more and find peace in your everyday life. –We must come to terms with our age. It’s funny that looking older has become such an issue. What is it that we’re afraid of? We think we have the power to do something about it instead of just being grateful for living as long as possible. We shouldn’t be spending the best years of our lives mourning something we used to have or in fear of what may come, she says. Self care Our looks benefit from us looking happy, being content and at peace with ourselves, no matter the age, she says. –Vanity is part of it. I love pampering my face and my body with nice products, I love the rituals surrounding it, and when I stand in front of the mirror with those seven layers of cream, I am able to look at myself lovingly while I moisturize. I know a lot of beautiful women who, in reality, look sad because they focus on what they are missing or will lose instead of what they have or will gain. –What really makes us radiate and makes us look beautiful to others, is how we treat ourselves. It’s a good thing to be self-absorbed. Our whole culture is about caring for others, but we must remember to do something for ourselves because when we feel good, it shows, says Lisbett Wedendahl. 