The body natural and the body unnatural: Beauty work and aging

This paper examines older women's perceptions of natural and unnatural aging in relation to the use of beauty work interventions, including anti-wrinkle creams, cosmetics, hair dyes, cosmetic surgeries, and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. The data are drawn from in-depth interviews with 44 women aged 50 to 70. The women tended to define natural aging as a lack of beauty work intervention and argued that this was a commendable goal. However, the majority engaged in beauty work and many articulated the importance of producing a ‘natural look’ through their beauty practices. While some women argued for an acceptance of the physical realities of growing older, others asserted that an aged appearance should be fought against using whatever beauty work interventions were required and available. We discuss the meanings that the women attribute to natural and unnatural aging in relation to the literature concerning ageism, the body, cosmetic surgery, nature, and technology.