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Introduction
The pervasive obsession with youthfulness and physical attractiveness in contemporary society has resulted in a proliferation of products and services that older adults, particularly women, are increasingly compelled to utilise. While these beauty work options are designed to enhance women's physical appearances and consequently their social value, they ultimately serve to reinforce ageist conceptions of physicality and beauty. To date, the literature concerning ageism has tended to focus on stereotypes and discriminatory policies and practices. With a few exceptions (Furman 1997; Hurd 2000; Hurd Clarke, Repta and Griffin 2007), the embodied experiences of older women and their perceptions of beauty work have been largely unexplored. Using data from interviews with 44 women aged 50 to 70 years, we examine how older women defined, experienced, and often submitted to ageist beauty ideals in relation to their appearances.
We begin by analysing the women's perceptions of appearance-based ageism in their interactions with significant others, potential sexual partners, and co-workers. We elucidate how the women used beauty work interventions such as cosmetic surgeries, hair dye, make-up, and non-surgical cosmetic procedures to respond to the perceived social pressure to alter their appearances and obfuscate their chronological ages. The non-surgical cosmetic procedures discussed in this paper include Botox injections (neurotoxin proteins that are injected into the skin to reduce muscle activity associated with frown lines), chemical peels (chemical solutions administered to the face to induce blistering and peeling with a resultant reduction of facial blemishes, wrinkles, and uneven skin pigmentation), injectable fillers (a range of natural and bovine-based fat products, hyaluronic acids such as Restylane, and synthetic materials that are injected into facial lines and creases to reduce the appearance of wrinkles), laser hair removal, micro-dermabrasion (the mechanical abrasion of the skin with crystals or roughened surfaces to polish or smooth the skin), and laser skin treatments (the use of lasers to remove the outer layers of the skin). We conclude by considering the women's beauty work efforts to maintain credibility, power and social currency in light of feminist theorising about ageism, and by discussing the irony of the women's perceptions of being invisible as a result of their visibly aged appearances.
Literature review
Defining ageism
A term coined by Robert Butler (1969), ageism refers to the 'systematic stereotyping...