Things you've found about the ageing process

LegacyUser · 11-03-2011 08:35PM #1

Hello ladies. Huge fan of this forum have always been a lurker not a poster although most of my family are so going unregistered here. I was having a chat today with some girlfriends about the ups and downs of the ageing process. At the ripe old age of 36 I have wisdom, knowledge and experience I wouldn't trade for the world. On the flip side while wearing a mini dress last weekend I had to put up with some nasty comments about being a bit old for that sort of thing. I'm slim and always keep myself wear but hate having restrictions on what I can wear also my single girlfriends find the single scene hell at our age. I know I'm very lucky, I have a wonderful husband and career i'm very happy with. A fabulous family and circle of friends with an active social life. For all this I'm extremely thankful to be at this point but the odd day fading looks or idealistic dreams of youth cross my mind. I would love to hear your thoughts....................................

Dudess · 11-03-2011 09:52PM

If you've the body for something, wear it - pay no attention to nasty comments from people who are bitter that they don't have the body, or who are just kids and think they're somehow immune from ageing.

11-03-2011 10:24PM

Defo women who commented anyway, gentlemen wouldn't find a lady in her 30s in a minidress worthy of negative thought. 36 is far from old

Me thinks the folks who commented are a tad jealous of your figure and or your confidence.

tan11ie · 11-03-2011 11:31PM

I don't think 36 is to old to wear a mini! if you have it flaunt it!

I've learned not to take life too serious...to lighten up and have a laugh....it could be over tomorrow.

baby and crumble · 11-03-2011 11:35PM

I've learned that no matter what, you can't fight your dna. If your Mum had facial hair, chances are you will too!

Also, most people can't see the things you obsess about yourself (like the afforementioned facial hair!!)

I'm slowly learning that you are who you are- you can't change who that it, you just need to learn to be happy with it.

liliq · 12-03-2011 07:53PM

My mam is 60 and wears mini dresses if she's going out or to a party- not mini mini, but mid thigh height! She also wears skinny jeans and leather jackets. Now, she does look young for her age, and acts more like a 21 year old than 60 year old, so I think the way she dresses is very "her" anyway! I love that she wears what she likes and doesn't feel that any of the stuff is too young for her! (Now- imo there is a line where it's mutton dressed as lamb, but that's mostly just with the proper slutty stuff i think!)
She's always had a fab figure anyway, and her skinny jeans and mini dresses look way better on her than mine prob do on me!

miec · 13-03-2011 04:57PM

Hi

A good thread. Like you Op I like the way my mind is maturing and richer from life experience but on the physical side I am noticing a number of things. I am approaching 40 (about four months left of my 30s). I have noticed that I have more facial hair, such as the dreaded moustache, now these get dealt with but I hate it. I am losing hair in other places (not my head). My cycle is changing slightly. I can see very faint lines developing, my hair is seriously grey but I have been since 14 so I am used to that one. I have also noticed that things are starting to sag. I have always felt lucky enough to have a shapely and tight bum, it is beginning to droop. I think that is it but it is part and parcel of life unless one chooses the cosmetic surgery route and I can't stomach it.

bangra bangra · 14-03-2011 09:16PM

Two words spring immediately to mind... DEMI.MOORE. I'm 39, when I was around 30 a good friend said to me "You know you won't get away with long hair for much longer".. so girls, yes that's right, I grew it longer..!!
All I can say is that I'm a much stronger person the older I get, I've learnt more about myself, others and the world in the last 9 years than I ever dreamed. I exercise more and have a better body now than I had when I was 25. (Modesty personified!!) I've accomplished things that I never thought I would. I think up to the age of 30, even though I was married with a good career, I just didn't get it, you know..? I would have no problem dressing the way I feel like on a particular day, I dress for me, I wear what I like, I know what suits me, it's only taken 20 years!!!. The negativity about a womans age will never come from men, they simply don't see age in the critical way women do. Most negative comments will come from some fat wagon you went to school with who's let herself go and lives in a greasy tracksuit, and quite honestly who cares about negative people like them? I would have thought that the dating scene would be ok as a confident 30something woman tho?

Poor Craythur · 14-03-2011 10:13PM

Demi Moore? Hardly an accurate representation. She's the Heidi Montag of the forty-something generation.

Up-n-atom! · 14-03-2011 11:29PM

36 certainly isn't old! Don't throw out the minis yet! My mum still has the legs for them and she's in her 50s! I think the worst thing is when you see the complete opposite: when women look very well for their ages but try to 'dress their age' and end up looking like complete grannies when they don't have to! I always think of my secondary school teachers who seemed to give up on themselves when they reached 40, all unflattering short haircuts, Deirdre from Coranation St glasses, pleated skirts down to their calves and boxy blouses. Look at Helen Mirren, she puts women half her age to shame and I don't think she's had very much work done (if any!)

pragmatic1 · 15-03-2011 02:47AM

From a male perspective, if you have the figure wear as little as possible. Twenty year olds do not have a monopoly on sexy.

Malari · 15-03-2011 11:32AM

pragmatic1 wrote: »

From a male perspective, if you have the figure wear as little as possible. Twenty year olds do not have a monopoly on sexy.

Eek! Neither does "wearing as little as possible" have the monopoly on sexy! Dress appropriately to suit your figure, definitely don't need to be half naked to be sexy.

magneticimpulse · 15-03-2011 01:01PM

That 40 year olds think its more acceptable to chase me because im 30 (in fact they are still chasing 24 year olds).

Im sorry but they might feel 30....I still feel 20...so ok 20 might be a bit too young to date. Certainly not too young to snog. Bye bye 40 year olds...look me up when Im 50

mood · 15-03-2011 01:44PM

Poor Craythur wrote: »

Demi Moore? Hardly an accurate representation. She's the Heidi Montag of the forty-something generation.

Demi Moore is certainly not your average woman.

1. She is very beautiful.

2. She spent a fortune on cosmetic procedures to reverse the signs of aging (face and body). She most likely has personal trainers, personal chefs, regular massages, facials, laser treatments etc. Any average, non-billionaire woman can't do all this!

Poor Craythur · 15-03-2011 02:45PM

mood wrote: »

2. She spent a fortune on cosmetic procedures to reverse the signs of aging (face and body). She most likely has personal trainers, personal chefs, regular massages, facials, laser treatments etc. Any average, non-billionaire woman can't do all this!

That's what I mean!

Poor Craythur · 15-03-2011 02:58PM

magneticimpulse wrote: »

That 40 year olds think its more acceptable to chase me because im 30 (in fact they are still chasing 24 year olds).

Im sorry but they might feel 30....I still feel 20...so ok 20 might be a bit too young to date. Certainly not too young to snog. Bye bye 40 year olds...look me up when Im 50

Huh?

Maple · 15-03-2011 04:05PM

Fashion wise, I've found that I just don't like high heels. The Universe made me small, I've accepted that fact so I'm not shoving my feet into instruments of torture just to gain a few inches in height. I dress to suit my body shape and not to follow fashion.

Emotionally and spiritually, I like myself more today than I did when I was 20. I've got wonderful people in my life who love me and life is very good now.

Poor Craythur · 15-03-2011 04:21PM

maple wrote: »

Fashion wise, I've found that I just don't like high heels. The Universe made me small, I've accepted that fact so I'm not shoving my feet into instruments of torture just to gain a few inches in height. I dress to suit my body shape and not to follow fashion.

Exactly how I feel. I gave up on high heels in my early 20s. I'm only 5'3" and I'm fine with that. I don't see why I should spend nights out in pain when I should be enjoying myself. Mid to low heels will do fine And boyfriends get mighty pissed off at their mots complaining about their sore feet all night and I don't blame them!

tan11ie · 15-03-2011 04:27PM

I'm only 5ft 4" but i just couldn't give up on my heels I LOVE EM!!

Rubberlegs · 15-03-2011 04:40PM

Now that I'm fast approaching 38, I haven't half the hang ups or insecurities I had in my 20s, thank God. I have learned that its quality not quantity of friends that matters, and refuse to be around people that bring me down. I will wear what I like thanks very much, skinny jeans and Converse aren't just for teenagers:D. I no longer give a s**t what people think about me, take me as I am. And yeah I'm an altogether happier person these days.

pragmatic1 · 15-03-2011 05:17PM

Malari wrote: »

Eek! Neither does "wearing as little as possible" have the monopoly on sexy! Dress appropriately to suit your figure, definitely don't need to be half naked to be sexy.

We're coming from different places.

tan11ie · 15-03-2011 05:41PM

I'd actually hate to be in my early twenties again...i do feel you grow more comfortable in your own skin by the time you reach your thirties!

Rubberlegs · 15-03-2011 06:33PM

tan11ie wrote: »

I'd actually hate to be in my early twenties again...i do feel you grow more comfortable in your own skin by the time you reach your thirties!

+1:D

And I don't feel I have to drink if I don't feel like it, and don't feel like a dry sh**e for not drinking. Besides my guts can't take much alcohol anymore. On the plus side, no more manky hangovers:)

Malari · 15-03-2011 07:50PM

pragmatic1 wrote: »

We're coming from different places.

Well, don't get me wrong, I think women can be extremely sexy naked. But I think you can get a lot of distance out of dressing well and to what suits your figure. Even an older woman with a great figure is going to look 10 times better with a stylish, sexy, well-fitting outfit than wearing a skimpy mini skirt and boob tube that a 20 year old would look hot in.

Getting there · 15-03-2011 07:52PM

73Cat wrote: »

+1:D

And I don't feel I have to drink if I don't feel like it, and don't feel like a dry sh**e for not drinking. Besides my guts can't take much alcohol anymore. On the plus side, no more manky hangovers:)

Learning the words "No, I'm not drinking tonight" has been one of my biggest achievements so far. That, and appreciating a night in with friends and a few glasses of red wins hands down over going to a club and getting ratarsed!

(Sometimes ratarsed at home is ok too....;))

Aishae · 15-03-2011 08:26PM

you dont need to wear as little as poss to look sexy no matter what the age
i remember from the movie monster in law where lopez says a dress should fit her not the other way round - or something like that. and it stuck with me. so many times when i was younger id repeatedly try on a dress in the hopes it wouldnt look so bad. then i realised the dress was worng for my shape and im pretty sure the designers idea of how the dress should look and my idea of how it should look on me - vary!

Maple · 15-03-2011 08:38PM

pragmatic1 wrote: »

From a male perspective, if you have the figure wear as little as possible. Twenty year olds do not have a monopoly on sexy.

pragmatic1 wrote: »

We're coming from different places.

You may not mean it but you're coming across as sleazy.

Please dial it back a little.

Maple

bangra bangra · 15-03-2011 09:49PM

Poor Craythur wrote: »

That's what I mean!

Ah come on girls, sure she's totally natural, she said it herself!!!!:D

Poor Craythur · 15-03-2011 09:55PM

bangra bangra wrote: »

Ah come on girls, sure she's totally natural, she said it herself!!!!:D

She has the knees of a middle aged lady. Nothing wrong with that at all, it just looks strange considering everything else is all stretched and pinned.

Getting there · 15-03-2011 10:49PM

Poor Craythur wrote: »

She has the knees of a middle aged lady. Nothing wrong with that at all, it just looks strange considering everything else is all stretched and pinned.

Huh...Iv never googles someones knees before:D

Youre dead right!

Aishae · 15-03-2011 11:38PM

cor - possible knee-lift on demi though! thats a new one to me.

Dudess · 15-03-2011 11:45PM

bangra bangra wrote: »

I'm 39, when I was around 30 a good friend said to me "You know you won't get away with long hair for much longer"

I never understand such sentiment as that held by your friend - what is there to "get away" with? Yeah, I had hair down to my waist up to a few months ago - chopped a lot off because it was annoying me the way there was hair everywhere (my hair is quite fine in texture so it's breaky) and damn, do I miss it. It totally suited me and I loved it - growing it again! :pac:

Aishae · 16-03-2011 12:11AM

Dudess wrote: »

I never understand such sentiment as that held by your friend - what is there to "get away" with? Yeah, I had hair down to my waist up to a few months ago - chopped a lot off because it was annoying me the way there was hair everywhere (my hair is quite fine in texture so it's breaky) and damn, do I miss it. It totally suited me and I loved it - growing it again! :pac:

i think this is just based on the way shot hair makes a lot of people look more youthful - i say a lot but not all. we all suit different hairstyles anyway. so its a bit of a generalization to say long hair + older = no.
i had long hair till i was 21. i looked like SUCH a dork with long hair. and i looked about 14.

long hair gives plenty of women a nice frame for the face that makes them look older so its a silly generalization i agree. theres no absolute hair standard

Dudess · 16-03-2011 12:57AM

Yeah, shorter hair does look better on some women, but I get the impression those who see long hair on a woman past the age of, say, 35 as "inappropriate" reckon they're now at the age where they should have a "grand, sensible" short hair-cut. :pac:

Acoshla · 16-03-2011 09:34AM

Dudess wrote: »

Yeah, shorter hair does look better on some women, but I get the impression those who see long hair on a woman past the age of, say, 35 as "inappropriate" reckon they're now at the age where they should have a "grand, sensible" short hair-cut. :pac:

Otherwise known as the dreaded married hair!

CathyMoran · 16-03-2011 09:51AM

I understand the shorter hair thing from a point of view that young children do tend to grab your hair a lot but you can always put it back. I may be married but I still want to look after myself and long hair suits me. Oh, I will be 37 in less than a week!

mood · 16-03-2011 10:01AM

I think short age can age women. I know women who had long shoulder length hair and cut it short when they get to about 40 and suddenly they look middle aged! I don't think I'll ever cut my hair short.

Maple · 16-03-2011 11:23AM

I'm not cutting my hair because some wally tells me it doesn't suit me as a result of my age. What a load of waffle.

I have a fear of the Catholic Irish Mammy hair, as portrayed here by Brenda Fricker in My Left Foot. Gak-tastic.

Aishae · 16-03-2011 06:20PM

ah no! i want a more gok-esque highstreet haircut :pac:
i get away with short hair as according to mam i have a slavic look. mind you, most people find it hard to believe im irish unless im having a pint :pac:

back on topic - im 27 today - and i chose a dress to wear to town that is loose fitting but as gok would say 'makes your bangers look lovely' - lol.
i noticed a wrinkle on my under eye last night but i only noticed cos i was fishing for a stray eyelash. it was a 'well hello there, hows yourself?' kind of moment. i treat winkles like i do scars: they all tell stories.

Poor Craythur · 16-03-2011 06:32PM

Aishae wrote: »

back on topic - im 27 today

I'm 27 tomorrow!

Ickle Magoo · 16-03-2011 07:39PM

Dudess wrote: »

Yeah, shorter hair does look better on some women, but I get the impression those who see long hair on a woman past the age of, say, 35 as "inappropriate" reckon they're now at the age where they should have a "grand, sensible" short hair-cut. :pac:

I sometime wear my hair in plaits and I get comments about that - I just do it to keep my hair out my eyes and out of the paint or food or whatever I'm doing but that together with blue nail varnish or the like seems to be barred for the over 30's...

Spadina wrote: »

Otherwise known as the dreaded married hair!

Oi! I'm married & I have long hair - not a blue rinse in sight!

:pac:

The Sweeper · 17-03-2011 05:58AM

Things I've found out about the aging process:

I like myself now at 34 a lot more than I did when I was 24.
I was better looking at 24 than I am now at 34 but didn't know what to do with myself.
Younger men (age group 20-25) tend to treat me with the sort of deference I would normally associate with someone else's mum, which can throw me a bit.
A lot of other adults don't take me seriously because I don't have children.
Now that I have the money to buy the clothes I always wanted they're no longer age-appropriate.
Now that I have the money to buy the shoes I always wanted I have nowhere to go in them because I'd rather be in cooking a nice meal for friends on a Saturday night than out in the city in my swish heels.
Now that I have the money to buy the car I always wanted, I'd rather stick with my 4x4.
Younger people ask me for advice and seriously they really shouldn't.
I find myself looking at both gorgeous but clueless 20 year olds, and 44 year old cougars, with a similar mix of suspicion and pity.
When I'm out for an evening and men go around me rather than come up to me, I try to persuade myself it's because I'm wise to their bullshit now, but think it's probably because I'm by far not the hottest thing in the place any more, by about 15 years.
Be prepared for the day you look in the mirror and think '??? Who the fuck is THAT???', and I'm not talking about you looking at the chick behind you.
You are never, ever going to look like you did when you were 21 again. Let it go. Move on. Make the best with what you have.
Now's the time to invest in good moisturiser. When Kylie said she uses Ponds - she was lying.
Hair long or hair short it doesn't matter, as long as you have good hair. Don't cling to a style from your early twenties if your hair is crap. And forget the mirror - find photos of yourself. Whether or not you're photogenic, yes, you do look like that, really.
I'm only in my 30s so it's all ahead of me.

SheRa · 17-03-2011 11:41PM

Ive become a complete lightweight when it comes to alcohol.

iguana · 18-03-2011 12:15AM

maple wrote: »

I have a fear of the Catholic Irish Mammy hair, as portrayed here by Brenda Fricker in My Left Foot. Gak-tastic.[/IMG]

I know! It's a hair style that says "I have given up on being in anyway attractive ever again." I moved back to Ireland last year and I was taken aback by the amount of women as young as their late 50s with that hair. They were often well dressed and made-up but with that hairstyle they just looked utterly sexless.

My nana is 80 and wears her hair in a girly-bob. It makes her look like someone who is still out to have as much fun as possible in her life.

Ickle Magoo wrote: »

I sometime wear my hair in plaits and I get comments about that - I just do it to keep my hair out my eyes and out of the paint or food or whatever I'm doing but that together with blue nail varnish or the like seems to be barred for the over 30's...

I had my hair bobbed last summer (I need to as the result of a really awful haircut in April) and tied it up in pigtails a lot. On a visit home I asked my mother if it was a bit much for someone my age and she told me that if it was she was in big trouble as she often wears her hair like that.

magneticimpulse · 18-03-2011 01:49AM

Aishae wrote: »

ah no! i want a more gok-esque highstreet haircut :pac:
i get away with short hair as according to mam i have a slavic look. mind you, most people find it hard to believe im irish unless im having a pint :pac:

back on topic - im 27 today - and i chose a dress to wear to town that is loose fitting but as gok would say 'makes your bangers look lovely' - lol.
i noticed a wrinkle on my under eye last night but i only noticed cos i was fishing for a stray eyelash. it was a 'well hello there, hows yourself?' kind of moment. i treat winkles like i do scars: they all tell stories.

at 27 there is no onset of ageing...sure what are you talking about haha. wrinkles at 27?

The Sweeper wrote: »

Things I've found out about the aging process:
I like myself now at 34 a lot more than I did when I was 24.

I was better looking at 24 than I am now at 34 but didn't know what to do with myself.

Younger men (age group 20-25) tend to treat me with the sort of deference I would normally associate with someone else's mum, which can throw me a bit.

A lot of other adults don't take me seriously because I don't have children.

Now that I have the money to buy the clothes I always wanted they're no longer age-appropriate.

Now that I have the money to buy the shoes I always wanted I have nowhere to go in them because I'd rather be in cooking a nice meal for friends on a Saturday night than out in the city in my swish heels.

Now that I have the money to buy the car I always wanted, I'd rather stick with my 4x4.

Younger people ask me for advice and seriously they really shouldn't.

I find myself looking at both gorgeous but clueless 20 year olds, and 44 year old cougars, with a similar mix of suspicion and pity.

When I'm out for an evening and men go around me rather than come up to me, I try to persuade myself it's because I'm wise to their bullshit now, but think it's probably because I'm by far not the hottest thing in the place any more, by about 15 years.

Be prepared for the day you look in the mirror and think '??? Who the fuck is THAT???', and I'm not talking about you looking at the chick behind you.

You are never, ever going to look like you did when you were 21 again. Let it go. Move on. Make the best with what you have.

Now's the time to invest in good moisturiser. When Kylie said she uses Ponds - she was lying.

Hair long or hair short it doesn't matter, as long as you have good hair. Don't cling to a style from your early twenties if your hair is crap. And forget the mirror - find photos of yourself. Whether or not you're photogenic, yes, you do look like that, really.

I'm only in my 30s so it's all ahead of me.

are you sure your not 44? Hey your only 4 years older then me, but I cannot relate to any of this. Im still in New Look buying the highest heals then ever before. I look far more fantastic then i did when I was 24 and i definitely know what make up and clothes suit me best compared to back then. I am totally smoking. I cannot say I am missing anything from my early 20's....its all happening now.

The Sweeper · 18-03-2011 04:09AM

magneticimpulse wrote: »

at 27 there is no onset of ageing...sure what are you talking about haha. wrinkles at 27?

are you sure your not 44? Hey your only 4 years older then me, but I cannot relate to any of this. Im still in New Look buying the highest heals then ever before. I look far more fantastic then i did when I was 24 and i definitely know what make up and clothes suit me best compared to back then. I am totally smoking. I cannot say I am missing anything from my early 20's....its all happening now.

Wow - all that and your most obviously attractive trait is your humility. :pac:

Acoshla · 18-03-2011 09:37AM

iguana wrote: »

I know! It's a hair style that says "I have given up on being in anyway attractive ever again." I moved back to Ireland last year and I was taken aback by the amount of women as young as their late 50s with that hair. They were often well dressed and made-up but with that hairstyle they just looked utterly sexless.

My nana is 80 and wears her hair in a girly-bob. It makes her look like someone who is still out to have as much fun as possible in her life.

I had my hair bobbed last summer (I need to as the result of a really awful haircut in April) and tied it up in pigtails a lot. On a visit home I asked my mother if it was a bit much for someone my age and she told me that if it was she was in big trouble as she often wears her hair like that.

Yeah the Irish Mammy married hair thing really irritates me. The most HILARIOUS thing I have ever seen is a thread on a wedding forum, called (wait for it) The Post Wedding Haircut. Pages of women saying that they have their hair lovely and long now for the wedding and will all cut it into a very short bob after the wedding, wtf?? It's like easing themselves into the horrible hair. And I never understand the "short hair is easier with babies" thing. Surely it's easier to tie long hair back than have short hair falling in your face and being grabbed/puked on etc?

My Mom is nearly 52, her hair is straight, about 2 inches past her shoulders with a fringe, and the amount of times she points out people who were in her class in school to me, most of them in frumpy beige clothes and all their hair chopped off in no obvious style, she looks 10 years younger than them.

All I've found out about the ageing process so far are good things. I'm 26, so I'm around the age that I'm just really understanding my own style, what I'm good at, what I'm not, what I like to do, and what I don't want to do, even if my friends are doing it :rolleyes: Realising who my real friends are, and what's important in life to me. I feel completely different to how I did at 21/22 (I was an idiot then :P)

I don't drink a lot and have never smoked so I have nice skin, the chipmunk cheeks I had as a teenager are really paying off now because I appear to have fuller cheeks than a most! My long hair makes me look pretty young too so so far it's all good

Aishae · 18-03-2011 02:22PM

no matter what age you are - once youre no longer 18 you might notice that youre getting older. sure we all age at different rates etc. a cousin of my mums had a thick grey streak from her temple at the age of 21. it was really attractive though. you might notice laughter lines that look more like wrinkles or a single wrinkle. if your mum or dad has deep eye sockets and you do too then you might take on their deep eye socket wrinkles younger (genetics eh) - technically once youre born youre ageing - i suppose growing boobs is a sign of ageing in a sense :pac:

Malari · 18-03-2011 02:32PM

Aishae wrote: »

no matter what age you are - once youre no longer 18 you might notice that youre getting older. sure we all age at different rates etc. a cousin of my mums had a thick grey streak from her temple at the age of 21. it was really attractive though. you might notice laughter lines that look more like wrinkles or a single wrinkle. if your mum or dad has deep eye sockets and you do too then you might take on their deep eye socket wrinkles younger (genetics eh) - technically once youre born youre ageing - i suppose growing boobs is a sign of ageing in a sense :pac:

:eek: Rogue!! Does she always wear gloves?

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Dudess · 18-03-2011 05:59PM

There definitely does seem to be some people who do stuff because "that's the thing you're supposed to do at this age", the mammy hair-cut being one of them. Wtf?

iguana wrote: »

I know! It's a hair style that says "I have given up on being in anyway attractive ever again." I moved back to Ireland last year and I was taken aback by the amount of women as young as their late 50s with that hair

Oh there are women around who are much younger with that hair - totally bizarre. Why would you punish yourself for your age when there are enough others doing it? Worse again, the self punishment helps to perpetuate the societal one. Certain stuff is age-dictated and that's just the way it goes - physical changes obviously. But while there's only so much you can do about that and you have to accept much of it too, why would you inflict limits on yourself that otherwise don't exist?

magneticimpulse wrote: »

at 27 there is no onset of ageing...sure what are you talking about haha. wrinkles at 27?

I've seen women younger than 27 who have wrinkles - it's down to lifestyle but even moreso, genes. One thing I've definitely learned about the ageing process is: it happens at varying stages and at varying rates, and some stuff that you're told will happen to you... won't. Or at least will happen at a different time to the time you're told it will. There are general trends, yes, but I would say to younger readers: don't pay attention to people who say "Oh this will happen, that will happen". Everyone's experience, while having similarities, has differences too.
I would be the same as magneticimpulse in that I think I'm better-looking now (at nearly 33) than when I was a teenager. I looked so pale and gaunt back then - really stern-looking (unintentionally - don't know wtf that was about), very... Bronte-esque, like Jane Eyre. :pac:

Eve_Dublin · 18-03-2011 09:38PM

I'm 30 and I've noticed a few things...

- A few lines on my face.
- Can't handle alcohol anymore.
- Less concerned whether people like me or not.
- More interested in current affairs.
- I was told by a gay male friend that I'm more attractive now than I was in my mid twenties because I give off an air that I'm more comfortable in my own skin.
- I'm broody as hell.
- Most of the people I know here in Spain are in their 30s and early 40s and I'm having better quality conversation than I did in my 20s...
- I have people telling me I don't look 30, which drives me a crazy...I know it's supposed to be a compliment but what do they think 30 looks like? This IS what 30 looks like, buddy!
- I have men in their 40s cracking on to me much more often.
- I'm more serious than I was in my 20s...but probably not serious enough about some things still.
- Less idealistic...realise that there's people out there who are simply bad people and there's no way to change them.
- I'm not as moody...my moods are much more consistant.
- I only coped on in the past 2 years how short life is...I don't feel immortal anymore like I did in my late teens/early twenties...this is terrifying and thrilling in equal measures.
- I suddenly have the urge to grow my hair long (I've had it just below my chin for about 4 years now)....not sure if it's a crisis of getting older.
- I don't give a damn about being single whereas it was an issue when I was single in the past.
- I'm not as sorted mentally as I thought I'd be. I still too hard on myself and beat myself up over stuff that just makes me human...it's definitely lessened though.
- I still find it very hard to let my guard down with men I like. Thought I'd have that sorted by now.
- I miss my mother more in the past 2 years than when I did when she died when I was 10. I could really use some motherly advice and love at the moment.

Overall though, I'm consistantly happier now than I've ever been but I've still a lot of work to do on myself.

Things you've found about the ageing process

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