Forever Young

If you clicked on this article in the hope of enjoying a deep dive into the legend that is Bob Dylan I can only apologise. Its a great song by a great song writer but it has nothing to do with what follows.

A couple of days ago two (soon to be ex!!) dear friends introduced me to an APP – some AI concoction that offered to guess my age in exchange - presumably - for all my biometric information. All I had to do was tick some small T & C box, position my face in the oval and seconds later............

Yesterday I ranged in age from 61 to 72 depending on where and when I snapped myself.  And snapped myself I did, repeatedly, obsessively and with ever increasing ire. And it got me thinking............  

At 68, I’ve dressed bodies young and old, curated looks that helped people become who they wanted to be and stood backstage as trends rose and fell like tides. But the one thing I’ve never seen go out of style—unfortunately—is the pressure to stay young. In today’s world of filters, Botox, and billion-dollar beauty industries selling us eternal youth, aging has almost become an act of defiance. As a stylist and a woman growing older in a culture obsessed with looking younger, I want to talk about the not so subtle, relentless pressure to not just age gracefully—but invisibly. Or indeed not to age at all.

I spend my days helping people feel confident, creative, and expressive through clothing. But there's a conversation that lingers quietly behind every wardrobe choice, skincare recommendation, and mirror moment: the pressure to look young. It’s everywhere—in the wrinkle-free faces in fashion campaigns, the “age-defying” products lining beauty shelves, and the compliments we give that sound like, “You don’t look your age!” Highest praise for the greatest achievement.

We live in a culture where aging is seen as a problem to solve. Youth isn’t just admired—it’s sold as the ultimate aesthetic ideal. And in the fashion and beauty industries especially, this obsession with staying young shapes not only how people see themselves, but also how they present themselves to the world. The pressure to look young is not just about vanity—it’s about value. In a world where younger often means more relevant, more desirable, and more marketable, people feel they have to shrink themselves into a version of who they once were rather than grow into who they’re becoming. Youth has become the ultimate status symbol. For women in particular, the standard is relentless. Age lines are “corrected,” grey hairs are “covered,” and mature skin is “revived.” The very language of anti-aging is inherently negative—suggesting aging is something to be reversed, hidden, or defeated.

There is an emotional toll to all this. The chase for eternal youth can chip away at self-esteem and make people feel that they are in a constant race against time. It narrows the possibilities of personal style and self-expression, boxing people into what they think they’re supposed to look like, instead of what makes them feel like the very best version of themselves. And there is a huge financial cost: an entire industry built on anti-aging—injectables, creams, devices, supplements—feeds on our insecurities. While self-care is empowering, the difference between care and correction can get blurry when the motivation is rooted in fear and indoctrination.

It’s time we reframe the conversation. Aging is not a failure of beauty—it’s a chapter of it. Style doesn’t have a shelf life, it doesn't expire. In fact, with age comes a deeper understanding of personal taste, confidence, and individuality—things that no serum can manufacture. Some of the most stylish people I know are in their 50s, 60s, and beyond. They know who they are. They dress for themselves. And that kind of authenticity is magnetic.

The fashion industry is slowly catching up. We’re seeing more campaigns with older models, more brands moving toward inclusive marketing. But representation isn’t just about putting grey-haired women in a photoshoot once a year—it’s about changing the conversation. From “ageless” to proud of our age. From “anti-aging” to pro-being-alive.

As a stylist, my job isn’t to make people look younger—it’s to help them look and feel the very best version of themselves, to ensure their look stays current, appropriate, to show them the joy of dressing, every day. I want my clients, my readers, and everyone I work with to understand this: style is not a preservation project. It’s a living, breathing form of expression. And it evolves—just as we do.

There’s nothing wrong with caring about your appearance. But we should care because we love ourselves—not because we’ve been told we’re only worthy if we stay forever young.

Aging cannot be the enemy because if it is we are choosing to fight a battle we can never win.