Beauty Is Only Skin Deep – And Fleeting At That

I have  never thought I was a vain person. But I am beginning to wonder. The older I get, the more concerned I seem to be about how I look. And not that I’m old, but I am celebrating the big 5-0 this year and I’m feeling a bit distressed by the fact that my best years are behind me. If I am to believe the results of a recent survey, my looks have been in decline for the last 15 years. And I'm pretty sure this won't be the last time I whine about turning 50 this year.

According to the survey by Allure magazine of 2,000 Americans, the consensus was that men look their best at age 34 while women hit their peak of attractiveness at 30.Respondents to the Allure survey say that it’s pretty much all downhill after that with women exhibiting signs of age by 41 and they stop looking “sexy” when they turn 53.

Women are considered “old” at age 55. Meanwhile, men supposedly show aging signs when they turn 43 and aren’t looking good anymore by 58. A year later, and poof, men are “old.”

Meanwhile, men seem to think women look their best at age 29 while women say it’s 31.

As for dreaded gray hair, the general opinion was that it looks “distinguished” on men but only serves to make women look “old.”

When asked which celebrities are aging well, George Clooney topped the list by both sexes. Others who appear to defy the aging process include Brad Pitt, Richard Gere, Meryl Streep, Jamie Lee Curtis and Julia Roberts.

I would like to think I am aging gracefully, even though I’m not happy about the entire process. I realize that everyone else is in the same boat , but somehow I’m not finding any comfort in that fact. Good grief, I'm sounding like a woman.