Eternally young: Women in their 20s grapple with impossible beauty standards

Women have known for decades that ageing naturally is unacceptable. Older women are rarely seen on screen compared to younger women, or are praised for their age-defying looks. Now, as a reminder of the increasing impossibility of beauty standards, it’s clear that appearing to age unnaturally, or “too soon”, is also seen as a failure.

In early March, 21-year-old actor Millie Bobby Brown spoke out about “bullying” by journalists, after columns and social media comments accused her of looking too old for her age.

Having entered the spotlight as a child star, Brown no longer looks like her younger self, which appears to have caused backlash. The response to Brown having the audacity to grow and age out of her teens reveals how society requires women to not only be young, but to look it, forever.

I am researching how women perform femininity (and navigate ageing) on social media, and it’s clear that the question of “how and when are women allowed to age?” has become even more complex in the digital era.

Social media has become the gateway to the anti-ageing industry, with influencers acting as living billboards for cosmetic treatment. Many of the women I have spoken to have highlighted how popular procedures like Botox have become on apps like Instagram,...

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