At what age do you think you’ll be or were your most beautiful self? Is it 21, or maybe 26? Well apparently being a fresh-faced 20-something isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
A recent study has revealed some good news for those of us who haven’t yet celebrated our 30th birthday – that people are at their most attractive entering their thirties.
The study suggests that women are ‘most beautiful’ at 30 and men are ‘most handsome’ at 34. The survey, carried out by Allure magazine, of 2,000 people across the United States found women were considered to have reached their peak at 30, start to show signs of ageing at 41, stop looking ‘sexy’ at 53, and look ‘old’ at 55. Men, on the other hand, looked their best at 34, start to show signs of ageing at 43, stop ‘looking good’ at 58 and look ‘old’ at 59.
Across the board the ages for men were quite a bit older than for women and it’s interesting that men get an extra four years. When respondents were asked to use a word to describe grey hair on men the top answer was ‘distinguished,’ but for grey hair on women it was ‘old.’
However, there was a discrepancy in the ideal age for women depending on who was looking. Men thought women looked most beautiful at 29, whereas women themselves thought they looked best at age 31. The research also showed that the average age people start to use anti-ageing creams was 37 for both men and women, while 42 per cent of women and 18 per cent of men said that they would consider anti-ageing injections or plastic surgery. Five per cent of those questioned said they had already had plastic surgery or anti-wrinkle injections.
When a similar study was conducted by Willow Water, a brand of bottled water that is said to improve the quality of the skin, on 1,500 British women, hope was give to those who have passed their thirties. The survey found that beauty was also defined as being confident by 70 per cent of respondents, having good looks by 67 per cent and being stylish by 47 per cent. It seems as though women in today’s society agree it’s not so much how they look that’s valued, but who they are as individuals. Which is good news for those who have already passed their peak age.
So ladies, if your 30th birthday is drawing closer, it may just be time to stop fearing it and start looking forward to becoming your most beautiful self. And if instead you’re now dreading becoming 55 and looking ‘old’, keep your confidence and style and you have nothing to worry about – beauty is now considered more than skin deep.
