Why It’s Time To Strike ‘For Your Age’ From The Convo

Every season of life has its roses and thorns. Sadly, there is a common misconception that women are more susceptible to the pricks than the blooms as each year passes. Disheartening expressions, including “men age like wine while women age like milk” and “over the hill,” and patronizing comments that end with “...for your age,” paint women’s experiences with a one-sided brush. The reality? Aging is a spectrum filled with vibrancy and growth, not decline.

L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect is on a mission to change the tired mindset that women should be qualified by how old they are. Fortunately, it’s easy for each of us to do our part. For example, the compliment “you look great” doesn’t have to come with the caveat “for your age” because women look great, period. Celebrating another trip around the sun is a blessing; not everyone gets the privilege. Too often, women endure aging microaggressions cloaked as compliments; and worse still, the bar for that caveat continues to get younger.

To help shatter these stereotypes, L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect and Chatelaine spoke to three Canadian women about their journeys with health, relationships, careers and passions throughout their years.

The stories our bodies tell: Suzanne, 57

Suzanne, a Toronto-based editor, writer, wife and mother, has faced a gruelling journey. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013, she fought a tough battle and won, only to discover it had returned three years after her initial diagnosis. These bouts left both physical and mental scars—a double mastectomy, chemotherapy-induced early menopause and lingering anxiety. This month, she is also scheduled to receive a hysterectomy due to precancerous cells being found in her uterus.

“It’s hitting me a little bit that all the pieces that make me a woman are going to be gone,” says Suzanne. “It’s taking me quite a long time to process this change. The saddest part of going through cancer was that I immediately went into menopause at only 46.”

Suzanne says that one silver lining from these experiences was that she developed a more grounded sense of self and a deep appreciation for life. Reflecting on women’s beauty standards, she recalled losing her hair during treatment. She bought a wig, but the heat and itchiness made it unbearable. “In the end, I realized it’s so much easier to be who you are,” she explained. “Being sick made me know what my priorities were. I didn’t care what people thought of me.” This newfound self-acceptance fuelled her decision to undergo reconstructive surgery after her mastectomies. She wanted to feel more like a woman, for herself.

Today, she says it’s still difficult to think back to these traumatic moments, but she’s grateful because it’s helped her love and appreciate her body and soul holistically.

“It’s hard to be positive about your entire body all the time, so I think about it in parts since parts of me have been taken away. For instance, I might be getting age spots, but the blue of my eyes is really nice,” she says, adding that experiencing everything from pregnancy and weight changes to baldness and sickness has given her perspective. “I can look at my feet and think, ‘Oh my god, look at my bunions and calluses,’ but instead I choose to say, ‘Look at where these feet have taken me, where they’ve stood and where they’re still going.’”

Life altered, life gained: Janine, 59

Before getting married, Janine studied political science and pictured herself landing a government job. Instead, she had children and stepped back from professional pursuits for 18 years. When she was 48, she began craving a challenge, but she wasn’t sure where to start until her son encouraged her to “Google it.” She did—and found a postgraduate program for fundraising management, ultimately landing her dream fundraising role at a prominent hospital. This journey has taught her the value of goal setting and self-improvement in every stage of life.

“Every day I find different ways to improve; you should always want to continue learning and growing,” she says, adding that this mentality made going back to school a memorable experience. “It was the best time of my life. I was the oldest one, but still related to the students because my kids were around their age. I was also excited to invest in my own future. And because of the field I chose, I knew I would eventually be making a difference, which made it even more valuable.”

During this journey, Janine also went through a life-altering divorce, which motivated her even more to put herself first by pursuing her passions.

“I was finally able to do what I wanted,” she says. “I was at the perfect age where my kids didn’t need me as much and I wasn’t married, so I had time to think about what I wanted in life and just do it.”

Finding fulfilment has no timeline: Sharon, 47 years old

Sharon, a wife and mother of three, wasn’t always a fan of her job. For years, she tackled demanding roles as an ombudswoman for a large international financial institution, handling high-level customer complaints, and as an estate worker, supporting families through loss and financial hardship. She started to lose herself in the daily grind, and, at 43, she decided to take a chance, quit her job and start fresh by enrolling in a public relations and corporate events program at Centennial College. As a naturally extroverted and creative person, she knew she needed to find a way to incorporate both elements into her day-to-day life.

“Going back to school made me feel like a new person,” she says. “I felt this weight lifted off my shoulders. I was finally able to use that creative side and make money off of it.”

At first, the age gap with her peers felt odd, but she viewed it as an opportunity and seamlessly stepped into the role of mentor. Four years later, she continues to develop this innate knack for leadership; she’s now a manager for a local fintech company, where she helps plan and execute virtual events. To feed her creativity, she also plans events outside of work for fun, including hip-hop dance classes for moms and speed-dating nights (which is how she met her husband).

Contrary to the misconception that age hinders job prospects, Sharon attributes her success to her maturity and experience. She says that being a mother helps her empathize with her younger reports and share perspective when needed. “If something happens at work and it seems like a catastrophic moment, I’m able to say, ‘Hey, this sucked. What did you learn from it? And it’s not going to matter a week from now,’” she says, adding that her age boosts her reports’ trust in her as a manager. “There’s no way in hell I could have had this job in my 20s.”

Suzanne, Janine and Sharon are inspiring examples of how life can change—or be changed—at any time, and prove that happiness and growth have no age cap. With their youth behind them, they became the best versions of themselves and deepened their self-love as they grew older.

As a brand that champions seeing and hearing women of all ages, L’Oréal Paris designed its Age Perfect Rosy Tone Moisturizer to help women with mature skin look and feel their best. As our skin’s ability to renew surface cells slows down over time, it may appear duller and more dehydrated, especially as we experience health and stress changes like menopause.

The moisturizer is formulated with LHA (beta-lipohydroxy acid) to gently exfoliate the skin and imperial peony extract to bring back that healthy radiance, plus it’s enhanced with rosy pigments to revive your natural blush tones. In studies, users reported an instant rosy glow and said their skin immediately looked more hydrated. After four weeks of use, they found their complexions looked smoother and more youthful. The Age Perfect Rosy Tone Moisturizer is available in its classic format, fragrance-free and with SPF.

Click here to shop the L’Oréal Paris Age Perfect Rosy Tone Moisturizer.