Thoughts On Aging

Society is dominated by ideals of beauty that put the focus on youth.
This series of photographs portrays four older people outside the comfort of their homes.
Their thoughts on ageing are presented here.

Ageing has happened so fast that my thoughts feel younger than me. When I think about ageing, I remember someone who was eighty when I was young, which I thought was very old. Now that I am the same age I don’t feel that old at all. My thoughts are in the present and in my mind I still feel like forty.

You have to accept the reality of ageing and weight gain. My main concern is to keep my mobility rather than my looks. Some people embrace their wrinkles with dignity, and what might be considered ugly becomes beautiful.

Society reflects a culture where we prioritise youthful beauty. We do not want to concern ourselves with misery and death, so we create an imaginary counterbalance. Sadness and sorrow are inevitable when the body begins to deteriorate, but there is no avoiding it. I live with the knowledge that I age and I find it both exciting and liberating.

I have always expressed the strength of character and security I feel inside so I have never lacked confidence even around people in makeup and elegant clothes. I have always been able to go anywhere I like as long as I am well-dressed and showered. No makeup, just an old lady au naturel! I am not in two minds about ageing. I enjoy it. I miss my husband, but life must go on. The only thing we can do is go along for the ride.