I Can’t Wait to Be “Old” – thoughts from Fresh Year, Fresh Face

I always thought  there would be a time in the future when I was truly “old” and  looks wouldn’t matter.  But judging from my mother’s cohort (she’s over 80), people seem to be divided into groups – those who spend a lot of time on appearance and those who don’t.

When did I learn this vision of “pretty” – the one that whispers to me “if only you’d put on some makeup, then you’d look better“? As if looking “better” made me somehow more worthy, kinder, gentler, and likable. As if looking “better” meant I was healthier, or contributed more to my community.

How can I learn to spend time cultivating my internal appearance and beauty, or focusing on others rather than myself?

What makes a person “pretty” in your eyes?

As a woman, do you see yourself as pretty without makeup? As a man, what do you think of the question?

About @lacouvee

Janis La Couvée (she/her) is a writer, poet and conservationist with a love of wild green spaces, from Campbell River, Canada —territory of the Ligwithdaxw people. Her poems have appeared in the League of Canadian Poets Fresh Voices, Sea and Cedar Magazine, Tiger Moth Review, Loch Raven Review, and other journals and anthologies. Janis is an alumna of the inaugural Fahmidan Literary Journal mentorship.

Comments

  1. You are lovely Janis! Great post and such a relevant question – especially in a visual industry. Definitely a question I’ll be taking with me through the rest of the day. 🙂

    • Thanks so much Courtney! It’s been a real growth experience for me during the month of January. I have decided to remain “fresh-faced” for now! With the odd foray into makeup for special occasions.

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