I always considered myself beautiful: a girl, a young woman, a woman. And people around me confirmed it. I had no complaints about my reflection in the mirror.

I received plenty of compliments, love, and admiration. And I never really thought about how it worked. I didn’t have to work hard. Outward attractiveness was simply an integral part of my life, and I used it like any other resource.

Inevitable Change

And then, with age, everything somehow changed imperceptibly. I began to notice wrinkles, understood why people needed a cosmetologist, and began to toil in the gym to maintain my body and protect it from the onslaught of extra pounds.

A New Reality

And suddenly, I found myself in a new, very strange reality. It turns out that what nature had previously bestowed upon me by default was a down payment.

And now beauty must be earned through daily labor. The free subscription to youth is over; welcome to the premium plan with its exorbitant prices.

Stopping the Ageing Clock

From the natural air you simply breathed, appearance turned into a project requiring regular investment, auditing, and management.

But the main insight of this crisis turned out to be much deeper than just a struggle for skin elasticity.

When you’ve been beautiful your whole life simply by birthright, you become accustomed to admiration and the ease with which you achieve your goals: from the best table at a restaurant to the success of public speaking.

Bam. It’s Autumn

Yes, of course, it’s good to be not only beautiful but also smart.

However, external attractiveness opens many doors effortlessly, because the world is kind to you simply because it’s a flower that pleases the eye.

And then suddenly, bam, it’s autumn. The admiring glances dwindle, and the familiar address of ‘woman’ instead of ‘girl,’ which so jarred, becomes the new reality.

What happened?

The inner narcissist on stage wonders: where have the spotlight and the audience gone?

Age is a great and very harsh instrument for gaining subjectivity. It takes away the outer, shaky support and confronts you with the fact: what will we rely on now that the façade is changing?

WHO sits inside this body?

And this is where the real self-discovery begins. You suddenly realize that adult attractiveness isn’t about the absence of nasolabial folds, but about the scale of your personality, about your expression, about WHO sits inside this body.

Beauty in youth is simply a random win in the genetic lottery, a gift from nature.

As you age beauty drifts inwards

Beauty in maturity is your own personal, conscious work, the quality of your mind and the ability to respect your changes without frantically trying to hold on to a resource that no longer belongs to you.

You finally take attention away from others and transfer it within.

What do you think?

And when did you first realize that your body and appearance were changing? And what inner meanings did you learn to rely on when the mirror stopped giving you enthusiastic compliments? I’m waiting for you in the comments. Let readers know what you think

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