Ariana Grande joins the “positive aging” movement, and her stance is refreshing!
The myth of eternal youth, where time’s effects were forbidden to touch feminine faces and bodies, is finally fading in favor of aging with much more grace. This new dynamic, known as “positive aging,” is particularly noticeable among celebrities, the new influencers of societal trends. Andie MacDowell and Helen Mirren have become ambassadors for silver locks, celebrating their mature age wholeheartedly, putting a literal end to the usual boycott of gray hair. More recently, figures in the prime of Hollywood have also called for more tolerance towards the passing of time. Singer Ariana Grande, for instance, opened up about her relationship with beauty and her Botox injections in an interview with Vogue US during her appearance on the Beauty Secrets series. The American idol spoke with genuine emotion, reminding her young fan base that makeup should remain a playful tool, not a means of pressure to fuel the (vain) pursuit of perfection that women have endured for far too long…
A kinder redefinition of beauty
As she revealed her best-kept beauty secrets on Vogue US’s YouTube channel, Ariana Grande chose to discuss her new perspective on makeup. Embracing transparency, the founder of the r.e.m beauty brand explained that she used to view makeup as a mask: “I, over the years, used makeup as a disguise or as something to hide behind, and more and more and more hair, more and more thicker, the eyeliner […] I started so young, you know, being exposed to so many voices at a young age […] when people have things to say about your appearance, it’s hard to know what’s worth hearing and not.” It’s with age and experience that the pop star was able to redefine her own beauty standards, choosing to celebrate rather than conceal herself: “I think of [makeup] as self-expression now, and accentuating what is here, rather than changing myself to please others.” A newfound sense of empowering priorities that stands in stark contrast to the aesthetic pressures rampant on social media…
“Positive aging”, or the art of fearlessly embracing aging
While Ariana Grande now nurtures a healthy relationship with beauty, she struggled for a long time not to be swayed by the pursuit of perfection that all famous women are subjected to. The singer reflects on her use of aesthetic procedures, opting for lip injections with Botox for a few years: “Full transparency, as a beauty person […] I’ve had a ton of lip filler over the years and Botox. I stopped in 2018 ’cause I just felt so… too much. I just felt like hiding, you know. […] I want to see my well-earned cry lines and smile lines. I hope my smile lines get deeper and deeper, and I laugh more and more. And I just think aging can be such a beautiful thing.” A sincere testimony that even moved the artist, revealing tears in her eyes as she ultimately wanted to no longer hide behind all these aesthetic alterations.
Positively reframing aging has long been taboo in the upper echelons of showbiz, where men “mature” with age like fine wine, while women are expected to wither like still lifes once their glory days pass. This is why Ariana Grande‘s testimony is crucial. Turning aging into a reality to be integrated and accepted without contradiction is a crucial step towards equality between women and men. It’s also about refraining from labeling women who champion this emancipation discourse as “exceptions” that had the courage to “own” the passage of time. This only serves to emphasize their difference from the average person, deemed too “afraid” to take that step. Ageism must be fought through the unity of a group, not through the occasional feats of women who “dare.” The obligation to “embrace” gray hair or wrinkles would once again imply that aging is a curse. Yet, time passing is simply nature at work, for women just as much as their male counterparts. A woman doesn’t need to “embrace,” but rather simply “choose” the narrative she wishes to adopt regarding her aging. She also has the agency to opt for aesthetic modifications without being answerable to anyone.
Naturally, these societal shifts will take time to integrate, but the ultimate goal remains straightforward: an article like this should, in the end, no longer need to exist because “women’s appearance will no longer be a topic, or at least, it will be disconnected from the esteem given to them and the esteem they hold for themselves,” as author Fiona Schmidt aptly points out in her Instagram post on the same subject. An ambition infused with “positive aging” and destined for the future, because women are capable of anything!
