Bearing Beauty’s Ageless Advice
From the moment we’re born, we women are consistently socialized to “maximize” our beauty. We’re under pressure to constantly look our best. To buy and buy and buy, so that we might invest enough to “stay beautiful.” We connect in this way, passing along our preening practices and rituals to share amongst our fellow women. While styles of beauty and their techniques may change with the times, there is valuable advice on the matter that we can receive, and it’s simply timeless.
In the 5 years that I’ve lived next door to my 68-year-old neighbor, I have never seen her in anything less than a stylish ensemble. Whether that be to tend to her garden, walk her dog, or get fresh air, she is consistently put-together, presentable, and pristine without fail. Always having admired the way she carried herself, I thought, who better to ask for some tips on beauty than my local style icon herself?
Image Courtesy: Mary Luz Busch
Unsurprisingly, upon my asking, she led with the importance of inner beauty. While this could seem cliché at first, I found a lot of value in what she had to say. The impact of stress and self-criticism undoubtedly reflects on the physical. Various psychological studies have explored this phenomenon, as a sense of confidence affects our nervous system, hormonal regulation, and overall body language. This ties both to one’s own sense of well-being and their outward social perception. What I did find surprising was her advice on positive affirmations for beauty. The prominence of practicing positive affirmations has especially increased in the past decade or two, correlating with the rise of personal therapy. However, hearing that this has been an important long-standing practice for my neighbor really pushed me to see it as more than just a generic therapy band-aid for confidence. Studies continue to prove what our guiding generations have already known: beauty really does begin in the mind.
Additionally, my neighbor’s hands-on approach to beauty really piqued my interest. Being a designer, a gardener, and a chef, there’s nothing she doesn’t take into her own hands. She uses her own herbs for holistic remedies and teas, turns her own produce into natural skin and hair masks, and even sews and designs her own clothes and jewelry. While the hottest beauty advice may not easily be “start an herb garden” or “invest in a sewing machine”, there is certainly something to be noted about the sense of agency and accomplishment this establishes in one’s self-care routines. Creative expression and authenticity are at the heart of all the best beauty practices, and these are practices that have the potential to sustain for a lifetime.
Like my high-spirited neighbor, as we live on, we continue to accumulate knowledge of all sorts. Sharing these experiences is what teaches us, connects us, and helps us grow. There is so much to be gained from asking questions and taking the time to listen to one another. So, I find overall that the most timelessly beautiful thing we can be sure to always keep intact is our curiosity.
Image Courtesy: Mary Luz Busch
Strike Out,
Writer: Priscilla Rodriguez
Editor: Abby Marshall
Graphic Designer: Eliza Crawley
Tallahassee