Why should I look young?

Three countries top the global skincare products sales – Japan, USA and China… The total global retail sales of beauty products in 2010 was $382.3 BILLION and the industry is growing at a CAGR of 5.5%. The BRIC countries constituted 21% market share of the global beauty industry and are expected to be at 25% market share by 2015. In India 80% of the facial products contain skin whitening agents. The biggest global trend in facial care is the sales of anti-aging products. In 2013, this segment was at $122 billion and its expected to reach 191.7 BILLION by 2019…

A few other things for you to consider …

1. US August 2012 budget deficit was $192 Billion.

2. $ 19.5 Billion needed for India’s food security bill… annually.

3. Approx $160 MILLION set aside for Nirbhaya fund…

4. India’s defence spend is $37 Billion only

5. 270,000 farmers have committed suicide since 1995 because they couldn’t pay debts … and India’s agricultural subsidy is at $400 billion.

6. India’s short term debt that is maturing this month (March 2014) is $172 BILLION… basically this is the money India has to payback.

I don’t know if its obvious where I am going with this… let me clarify. There is a huge need for women to look younger besides looking “fair”. The “Anti-aging” sentiment is across the world, not just India. I want to understand why and I want my sisters, daughters, mothers and grandmothers to get rid of this sentiment. Why should I look young?

Is it because the significant other will not love you if you grow older? Leave the significant other who only looks at your outer beauty, he or she is not significant at all. Is it because we want to remain desirable even as we lie down in our grave? And who will desire us? Another human being hopefully. Lady Diana’s life should be a lesson for all of us as we open the vial that will make us look ten years younger.. here was this stunningly beautiful woman with a heart of gold and Prince Charles still found Camilla more desirable. Whats the message here? desirable is in the eyes and heart of the beholder, just as beauty is. Why do we fear ageing? Hey, we cannot remain sweet 16 for the rest of our lives and we should not, its a troublesome age that we need to get over and become smart, confident and beautiful women. Am not talking of grooming here, by all means every woman should turn out looking like a million bucks BUT, looking young should stop being important. Waheeda Rehman, looked stunning when she was young and continues to look stunning with silver hair… and Sharmila Tagore looks fabulous at this age, infact I believe she looks far better now than when she was younger.

We get so taken in by what advertisers promise – use this at night and wake up with no wrinkles, use this in the morning, SPF at 1000 and not a single ray of the Sun will spoil your skin, use that cream under your eye and mask the dark circles, get baby skin by using this particular treatment…. how gullible we women are.

Can we ask what we really want to do and not be worried all the time about how much younger can we look ? Worry about not fulfilling your dreams, not about using the next “look young” cream. The significant other who loves you, will love you whether you have wrinkles or dark spots or dark skin … work on the relationship, not on the desire enhancing skin cream. Worry about making equal opportunity at the workplace a reality that will ensure your financial independence and make you stronger. Worry about your views being heard, not just about the next wrinkle showing up. Eat well, exercise regularly, laugh and cry, have fun and stay young at heart, so you can take the risks that the young can, so you can live life with gusto… and don’t waste money and time trying to just look young. Ageing is natural and WILL happen, let it.

Here are two quotes that sum up what is sexy, beautifully ..

For the record – Am 45 years old and look 45 years old, my hair is almost all grey that I dye in whatever colour catches my fancy and I don’t want to look any younger. Happy to look my age and if there are no whistles as I walk down the street, that much better !! But I can bet money, that I am far younger in my thoughts than a 20 year old :):) and I don’t use any anti-ageing product .. so the $192 billion doesn’t have my contribution and will not in the future too.