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Dear Reader,

Maybe I’m speaking too soon as I’m currently in my 30’s, but I feel happily resolute in aging naturally. While aging is not a choice, hiding the aesthetics of aging is something women have been attempting for some time now. We all know this. We have eyes. We see the medspas popping up like gas stations every 3 blocks.

In part, aging without aesthetic intervention is an act of resistance. Let my face be a protest! But that’s not the whole story. I am bent on embracing beauty in what culture deems unattractive. Watch me dance, bite into rich foods, flirt with poetry, hug my tías while my laugh-lines laugh at the world’s need for me to feel “less than”. There’s more beauty to be found in the wise and aging than actresses who have fewer wrinkles in their fifties than they did in their twenties.

So yes, I love a good stick-it-to-the-man statement. But it’s not about men. It’s about me daring to have joy as I am. So take that.

Will I love having new wrinkles while others my age opt for botox? Eh. Maybe yes. Maybe no. Am I willing to undergo elective treatments to “keep up”? Nope. This is not because I feel above such things. It’s more about differing priorities. My eyes and heart are set on other things. If all goes as I hope, my wrinkles will be a reflection of maturity, resilience, and confidence I embraced on my way to that particular age.

I have the luxury of being surrounded by women I love (my mother included) who have no interest in adjusting their faces. In a world where more and more are choosing another path, that’s been helpful to me. I’d feel great about being that for younger women—showing another option for aging.

Now, I will be dying my hair because that’s plain fun. Another excuse to express myself? Yes, please.

Sincerely,

The Woman with More Wrinkles in Her Future

Thanks for being here <3

Extras to check out:

Song: I Got Love by Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band

Poetry Book: The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

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