Anastasia Mironova How much does it cost to look your age today? 28.11.2024, 13:37

A woman in Moscow underwent blepharoplasty at home – removal of bags under the eyes. My eyes don’t close anymore. The unfortunate woman paid 40 thousand rubles for such an operation. For Moscow, money is funny. Less than a ticket to the New Year’s Nutcracker.

Five years ago I would openly laugh at this Muscovite. There were similar excesses then. There were also cases of death. It appears that one woman even died from lip enlargement. After visiting the house cosmetology fairies with their magic bags, customers’ faces became distorted and their noses rotted. Later this was perceived as the result of personal enthusiasm and a foolish desire to show off. Yet just five years ago, botox or lips were costing the masses a significant amount of money. Not everyone could even afford to get eyebrows and eyelashes. Let’s say it was considered a high consumption product. And people who went to get tattoos on their lips or cheekbones wanted to be thought rich cheaply.

But now everything has changed.

There are so many demands on a woman’s appearance that even the operation to remove bags under the eyes and the eyelid lift have become a necessary minimum in the capitals.

A middle-class woman can no longer walk with bags. Note that I avoid the term “middle class” because we have almost no middle class in economic terms (i.e. people with high incomes and a predictable future, but who are not part of the elite). Today’s middle class, I guess, are those making between 100 and 200 a month. Mortgage, car… If there is at least one child, what is left? And we have to comply with this. Blepharoplasty, lifting… Eyelid surgery in the clinic – out of a hundred people. But this is at least a one-time thing. Regular botox, manicure, eyebrow, hair lamination, skin renewal, facial and hand peeling. Just a few years ago there was no minimum requirement for a woman to look acceptable. Now it is. And of course, that doesn’t include lip-pumping with Jolie’s angles.

Not according to my ideas about the norm, but according to what is now accepted in society, a prosperous, normal woman today should have clean, shiny skin, even white teeth, thick hair and beautiful color. But this is all a basic set. The important thing is the absence of bags under the eyes, swelling, nasolacrimal grooves, cellulite, age spots on the face and hands. She should have a toned body free of cellulite, no Venus rings around her neck, her legs should be completely smooth and sculpted, her butt should be toned, and her clothes should be made of natural fabrics.

This is an established norm and not a sign of wealth. This minimum set means that the woman has time for herself. Although there is an absence of a number of typical features of a female figure and face in general. While nasolacrimal grooves appear around the age of 30, 50 years ago cellulite was considered a feature of the female body by anatomists. We recently tackled a toned butt; This is a masculine trait. Pigment spots are age-related. Almost everyone has it. Neck rings are also a feature of the female body. Drooping and sagging of the face are evidence of the female-type structure of the face, which is not as plump as in men in youth and sags with age.

But now such external features have become a sign… I don’t even know how to say it correctly and at the same time tactfully. Perhaps a sign of inferiority. If translated from the language of imperial Russia – lower layers. Today we have begun to demand that women all look like idle rich ladies. This is true.

A pale face that has lost its shape is a sign of lack of sleep. It must be concealed – with massages, injections, microneedle peeling. Edema? Lack of sleep and malnutrition: a lot of cheap fast food, canned food, salt. It quickly becomes clear that a woman cannot cook for herself using good ingredients or eat in good restaurants every day.

A young woman with a plump figure – there is no time for sports, which means she works for hire in a low position, cannot go to the gym or does not have enough strength. Today, among the “decent” only big bosses over 50 can be out of shape; for the rest, the norm is determined by fitness.

A woman who has a job, a child, and a loan has to provide all of this herself. Society demands it. Some impossible rules and unattainable standards have been imposed.

How much does it cost? How much energy and time? People don’t have the money or physical abilities to meet the new norm. He says she looks like an idle woman who eats well, sleeps plenty, and manages her own time. This is true. If we add up and subtract everything unnecessary, we get the main thing: Today’s standards tell a woman who is overwhelmed at work and drowned in loans to appear as if she is not working, has everything and only cares about herself. It’s like he doesn’t age.

I decided to somehow calculate how much my appearance costs me. By the way, very mediocre. I look forty at forty. I make money just by writing. My income is strong and average. There is no loan, but I buy a lot of books. I stood up, looked at myself in the mirror, and realized that most women could not afford much of what I invested in myself and considered minimal care, even when it came to health, let alone beauty.

Let’s start counting. Removal of varicose veins. Many people have this. Now there is only one Saphenous vein per removal – from 30 thousand, sclerosis of the tributaries, cones, only small cyanotic vessels – from ten. At least half of women over 35 have it on their legs. Venotonics twice a year. If you drink the effective one today it is 8 thousand rubles.

At least two medium peels or a series of superficial peels once a year. This is twenty thousand. You can get used to doing it at home, regardless of the risks, but the important thing is that you can sit at home while your face swells and peels for at least two weeks a year. I also try to exfoliate my hands in the fall because an uneven tan builds up on my hands throughout the summer. Who can afford to stay at home for two weeks when so many people have such a holiday during the year?

Oh yes, he has blood vessels on his face too. Today Moscow or St. A middle-aged woman in St. Petersburg cannot afford to walk around with spider veins on her face. About ten years ago women did not treat this en masse, today it is no longer possible. The duration of rosacea treatment is 40-50 thousand, and after each procedure it would be nice to sit at home for a few days – your face will be red and bruised.

Also laser hair removal. Some people have mustaches, some people grow hair on their chin after they turn 30. It’s cheap but you have to go regularly and waste your time.

Creams and lotions, masks. You need 10 thousand twice a year to work at least at the minimum. Retinol, niacinamides, SPF minimum 30 in one tube – otherwise you may quickly find yourself falling behind.

How much has it dripped already? I won’t even consider it myself – it’s scary. You can also fill the veins on the arms and the rings of Venus on the neck with fat, which is now often done to hide age. If you go for Botox, eyebrow lamination, “smart” lifts… it starts at 70k a year. And here thread insertion, microvitamin injections, etc. We do not include procedures with questionable reputation such as:

What else am I doing? Okay, teeth. I don’t know how much I once paid to correct my bite. Probably a total of 350. Implants and veneers – now it costs 70 thousand to restore a tooth. Brushing your teeth every six months has now become an average of ten. It is good to change fillings every five to eight years. The cost of a good pasta is under 300 rubles. An electric brush and irrigator – a minimum of about 6 thousand if the Chinese name is enough for a year and a half.

Sports too. The average subscription to a fitness center is 30 thousand per year. The pool is accessible to a minority. To exercise normally, you need to be able to walk during the day or visit a sports club for the rich, because in the budget ones you cannot go to the exercise equipment in the evening.

Normally you should go four times a week. If we take into account the route and changing clothes, this is 2-2.5 hours a day. Uniforms, sneakers are cheap – from eight thousand per set you need to have at least two. If you want to rock a trendy booty, it’s best to wear compression socks. This ranges from seven to eight thousand, changing every two months. Without socks, a woman will most likely have varicose veins from weightlifting, and without weightlifting, she will not have a cracked butt.

You still have to walk and walk a lot. Or add 30 minutes of brisk walking to your workout, or at least an hour a day, to get into the cardio zone. Otherwise, swelling and loose appearance will occur.

You have to cook it yourself or order food from expensive restaurants. This way the produce is good and nothing is too salty. I personally know those who eat cheaply and those who do not eat at home by their faces, they are gray and swollen. These are salt and preservatives. Sometimes, when I was traveling and found myself in very small towns, I had to eat in canteens for several days, buy food for myself in the kitchen departments, and cook store-bought meatballs. One week of such a life is five years plus. I am serious.

I recently sat down, calculated all the investments in myself, money and time that in one way or another affect my appearance and realized that most women cannot afford it. But I lined up the minimum to look forty forty. However, mass culture already dictates that a woman should look thirty at this age. Where does money, energy and time come from?

Of course they go under the knife of a criminal surgeon. They will continue to do this if they don’t stop demanding the impossible from women.

The author expresses his personal opinion, which may not coincide with the position of the editors.