How Old Are You? inspires women to recognise their beauty at every age

The pressure from society to keep looking younger is so great that a staggering quarter of all women feel judged on how old they look by the people around them.

“In a world where youth is synonymous with beauty, women feel that they have to look young to be considered beautiful,” said Sphelele Mjadu, Dove PR manager. “Dove produced the film to encourage women to reconsider their beauty and understand that they are beautiful, regardless of their age.”

Age is a source of anxiety for all women, which generally peaks in their early thirties, but is felt as early as in their teens. The film raises the question about when women start to feel anxious about their age. The film shows girls proudly stating their age, while women avoid the question.

Girls mirror their mother’s behaviours about beauty, confidence and self-esteem and it is important that mothers recognise the beauty in themselves at every age to set positive examples for their daughters. Encouraging women and the next generation to develop a positive relationship with beauty can help raise their self-esteem and thereby enable them to realise their full potential.

Avoiding the age question

Answering ‘that’ question makes most women unhappy. Revealing their age makes them focus on the negativity associated with ageing and further fuels anxiety about the way they look. One in four women use a negative description about their appearance when asked how old they are, including words like “old” and “too fat”. In fact, the age question makes women feel so uncomfortable that two in five women have pretended to be younger and will often avoid celebrating their birthday.

By asking women How old are you? Dove invites women to consider how they feel when they reveal their age and the impact this has on them every day. Watch the film below and join the conversation at #BeautyAtEveryAge.