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I love that in recent years you and others have unpacked these biases that we (societally) have seemed to expect of women. It’s crazy all the things women have to worry about. 😭😫🙈 And I hope as people keep talking about it, in the next so many years, we will look back and be like, “Whoa! Times were crazy!” You know when we look at 60s-80s overt sexism in workplaces.

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I read all your posts with great interest from the lofty heights of early post-menopause. I always think to myself “Great, she‘s working it all out, she‘s motoring towards the acceptance and joy of letting things go that does come if we let it“. But then you write about make-up and I realise “Yep, I‘m not quite there yet with the self-acceptance and letting things go“. I am now able to leave the house regularly with no make-up on, that came at around 50, but if I make a video or am on a call, I still always appear with my full face on. That’s more for other people than myself. Thanks for doing what you do. It‘s important.

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It's a great piece Poorna and I agree wholeheartedly with your points. One thing I'm feeling really weird about though is the focus in articles I've read is around P.A.'s "bravery" : she is a traditionally beautiful woman who looks still very (conventionally) beautiful without makeup. Sometimes I feel like the makeup-free thing on such women is just another unattainable standard, kind of a status symbol, that they can promote (and I'm not saying they are doing this consciously at all) and that most ordinary mortals can not achieve. I don't think the same publications would be as admiring of other woman going make-up free (reference Susan Boyle?). Same with grey hair: it's seen as brave and beautiful only when it still looks pleasing: nice grey hair (texture and colour) and not a headful of wiry, crappy washed out looking beige-grey. The bravery bit too: I'm not disagreeing that it is, in some ways, brave and I just wish it wasn't the case but as I watch reports from Gaza of surgeons battling to save babies (female surgeons- all make up free)- that is bravery. How have we arrived at a place where a woman not wearing make-up on an already beautiful face is being called brave?

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