What Your Wrinkles Say About YOu
About 11 years ago I walked into the beauty department of Debenhams and was told I needed to start thinking about skincare that tackled fine lines. I was offended. I was 23 for crying out loud. Fine lines? Have a day off. After all, I never thought I’d ‘age’.
Fast forward to last week when I woke up and seemed to have damaged my neck just by merely sleeping on it. I can confirm that ‘ageing’ is well and truly undergo in my body.
But what’s interesting is that the more I’ve thought about my body changing; the fine lines deepening - grey hairs appearing quicker than they used to, the more I’ve thought about what our faces tell us. What is it that your face says when someone really looks at you, and how does that make you feel?
I read an interview that Julia Roberts recently gave, and she was talking about how we wear our lives on our faces. I suppose that’s the point I’m getting at here - what does our face say about our life, and why do we criticise our ageing face, when our faces are telling a story.
The lines under my eyes are pathways that I’ve walked along. They're pathways of joy, pain, excitement and anxiety. The grey hairs of mine are silver medals I’ve received for the years I’ve lived and learned and thrived. The eleven lines between my eyebrows are the pillars of empathy that I’ve shown someone when they’ve told me their story and needed someone to listen. And the slightly less-tight skin reminds me of the warm beaches I’ve been on and memories gained from long days in the sun.
When a child is born and goes through their life, we celebrate milestones. So when did it stop becoming about celebrating milestones and started to be called ‘ageing’? What if we looked at ourselves in the mirror and, instead of criticising our greys, lines and skin, we started to see our milestones; our stories of what our life has been and is becoming?
Personally speaking, I’ve been through a lot in life. I’ve been through things I wouldn’t wish on anyone, but it’s all helped to shape me into who I am today. Even though I’ve been through a lot, it’s only in the last few years that I’ve started to look and feel ‘older’, but these last few years have been my favourite. I met my husband, relocated to the countryside, went on amazing holidays and settled into the life I’ve always wanted. So the lines that I’ve started to see more of over the last few years actually tell a story of how much of life I’ve enjoyed and used my face to express that joy.
Your face is a face that tells the world of who you are. How far you’ve come. Your strength. Your battles won.
Your face is beautiful. Nobody has it - nobody has your story. Nobody has the milestones of what you’ve achieved but you.
So the next time you look in the mirror and prepare to criticise the person looking back at you, be kind to her. Her face tells you the roadmap of your life, and it’s one heck of a beautiful story.
Anna x