Ageing, Beauty & the Pressure to ‘Fix’ Your Face
Let’s talk about it—the growing pressure to stay young, look flawless, and erase every visible sign of ageing from our faces. For women in their 40s and 50s, this pressure can feel especially sharp. We’re told midlife should be empowering, but there’s a catch: we should look like we’re still 30 while doing it.
In the past decade, the rise of ‘tweakments’—non-surgical cosmetic procedures like Botox, fillers, and skin-tightening treatments—has exploded. According to the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, Botox use in the UK rose by over 40% between 2016 and 2022, and globally, the aesthetic medicine industry is expected to hit £16.7 billion by 2026. And it’s not just a celebrity thing. These are your friends, your co-workers, your Pilates instructor.
More and more women in their 40s are opting for subtle tweaks, often under the guise of “freshening up.” A 2023 survey by Allergan Aesthetics (makers of Botox) showed that 60% of UK women aged 40–54 are considering aesthetic treatments in the next year. The reason? "To look like a better version of themselves." But what does that even mean?
Let’s pause here. Because this isn’t a judgement. If you’ve had Botox, or you’re considering it—I get it. We live in a world that constantly tells us younger = better. Wrinkles are called flaws. Eye bags are “tired.” Jowls are “a problem area.” When did being human become a problem that needs fixing?
Whose Choice Is It, Really?
One of the loudest messages in the pro-tweakment space is: It’s just self-care. It’s my choice. And yes, autonomy matters. But let’s be honest—how much of that choice is truly free from influence?
We’re not making decisions in a vacuum. We are surrounded—bombarded—by images of filtered skin, youthful faces, and ageless celebrities. We’re praised for “not looking our age” and told we’ve “still got it” if our cheeks haven’t fallen or our foreheads don’t move. Choosing tweakments often feels less like self-expression and more like self-preservation in a youth-obsessed culture.
And when every woman in the room has a smooth forehead and lifted brows, choosing not to follow the trend can feel rebellious. Even radical.
The Fear of Being Left Behind
Midlife comes with big shifts. Our hormones fluctuate, our skin changes, and we often feel invisible in a world that glorifies youth. The fear of becoming “irrelevant” is very real—and brands know it. Marketing aimed at women over 40 is booming, often wrapped in “empowering” language like “ageless beauty” or “age-defying glow.” But make no mistake, the message is clear: you must fight time.
And that’s what keeps many women caught in the loop. Once you start tweaking, you often have to keep going. Botox wears off. Fillers need topping up. Skin tightening has a shelf life. It’s expensive, time-consuming, and—let’s be honest—can sometimes start to look... not quite right. But the fear of looking “old” is so ingrained that stopping feels even scarier than starting.
A Different Kind of Beautiful
But something is shifting. Slowly, steadily, there’s a counter-movement gaining traction. And it's beautiful.
When Pamela Anderson walked the red carpet make-up free in 2023, it sent shockwaves through the beauty world. Here was a woman in her 50s, in the spotlight, refusing to conform to expectations. No tweaks, no glam squad, just herself.
She’s not the only one. More and more women are choosing holistic approaches over invasive procedures. Gua sha, facial massage, acupressure, LED light therapy, breathwork, and skin-loving rituals are rising in popularity. Not because they promise to make you look 25 again—but because they feel good. Because they honour your skin, your face, your story.
Searches for “natural anti-ageing” and “face yoga” are up significantly, and the global wellness industry—particularly holistic skin and self-care—is growing faster than ever.
This isn’t about rejecting beauty. It’s about redefining it. It’s about finding confidence not from fixing our faces but from connecting with them. Massaging your own skin. Smelling a beautiful oil. Touching your face with love, not criticism.
The Power of Age
What if we stopped calling it “ageing” and started calling it evolving? Because the truth is, women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond are some of the most radiant humans on earth. We know who we are. We’ve lived. We’ve built lives, raised families, started businesses, survived heartbreak and hormones. That kind of strength shows on your face—and it’s a good thing.
So why are we trying to erase the signs of our own becoming?
Let’s Ask the Real Question
When a woman gets tweakments, is it really her choice—or has the culture already chosen for her?
This is the question we need to be brave enough to ask. Because while it’s framed as freedom—“do what makes you feel good”—we rarely talk about the pressure behind the desire. We rarely acknowledge that not tweaking, not smoothing, not fighting time takes more confidence than conforming ever could.
And again—this isn’t a call to shame or divide. There’s space for all of us here. You can love gua sha and still get Botox. You can adore a glow serum and still want your forehead lines softened. But let’s not pretend we’re untouched by the culture around us. Let’s look honestly at where these choices come from.
Growing Older in Peace
At Jenny Nordic Skincare, we believe beauty isn’t about fixing your face. It’s about feeling at home in your skin. Our approach is minimal, high-performance, and deeply holistic. We don’t want to sell you youth—we want to support your radiance at every stage of life.
We want to help you build rituals that feel like self-respect, not self-erasure. We want your skincare routine to feel like a love letter to yourself, not a battle plan. We want you to glow—not because your skin is flawless, but because you feel grounded, nourished, and seen.
So here’s the invitation: let’s grow older in peace. Let’s celebrate our skin for everything it’s been through. Let’s shift the narrative from “anti-ageing” to pro-living.
Let’s be the women who show the next generation what real, powerful, visible ageing looks like.
Love,
Jenny, the founder of Jenny Nordic Skincare
Want to start a more joyful, pressure-free skincare ritual?
Discover our minimal, potent, skin-loving essentials in the Jenny Nordic Skincare Discovery Set. It’s the perfect way to reconnect with your skin—no needles required. And if you’re ready to deepen your self-care practice, explore our Gua Sha School—where you’ll learn how to support your skin naturally, boost glow, and embrace ageing with calm confidence.
