🍔 Soul Snacks

2.5 min read

Dear Snackers,

This past week I posted on IG about my commitment to accept a natural aging process. I’ll be honest, it’s not that easy. Living in the suburbs of NYC, I would say the majority of women I know socially are getting Botox or injections, and while I firmly believe that people should do what makes them feel their best, for me, I prefer the way my face looks natural. Don’t get me wrong, many of the people I know with Botox look great, but there is something about being able to watch my face age that feels like it’s supposed to be part of my process. I will say, in my dead dog honest opinion, after a certain age, I have seen very few if any women who can pull off Botox without looking frozen – they’d make some damn fine poker players, though. 

When I think more in depth about the concept of it, however, aren’t we all altering our faces to create an enhanced illusion of beauty or youth? Take makeup for example….I’m willing to literally paint my face on a near daily basis to manufacture colors that are noticeably different from my bare face, so at the real heart of the matter if I believe a “natural” face is best for me, why would I wear makeup at all? The truth is, I really like the way makeup looks on me when I take the time to get a little gussied up, and my vanity doesn’t end with a pound or two of under eye concealer, either. I use those little facial razors regularly to resurface my skin, I have purchased some pricey anti-aging facial serums and oils, and on a handful of occasions, I have gotten a topical laser light treatment called IPL, which evens out your skin tone and brightens everything up a little, to the tune of about $500 a pop, and I LOVE it. Side note, I once explained what IPL was on Instagram and someone commented, “Ummm, we all know what IPL is, we’re not idiots,” and I was like, “Ummm, I just found out what it was like yesterday, so maybe some of us are,”…I assume that chick gets Botox, I digress. 

At the end of the day, by not taking more extreme measures to preserve my youth, I am also resisting the perpetual unrealistic expectations placed on women. My decision to keep my face natural so-to-speak, is one that reminds me that I am good with “me”. The beauty and bodily standards for women are out of control. Take our male counterparts, for example: they gain a little weight and are coined with the adorable term of having a “dad bod”. It’s so elusive it almost sounds desirable and, yet, women gain weight (after birthing babies no less), and it gets called a “FUPA”?! A “Fat Upper Pussy Area” are you fucking kidding me?! Guess what else starts with “P”, is anatomically correct, and could have been used interchangeably in that fun little acronym? PENIS! Well fuck that shit…we’re all amazing and “dad bods” are now also getting called FUPAs. If men can be celebrated for their natural aging process and the inevitable weight shift that typically accompanies age, then so can we. It is, after all, a visual representation of your years, and what an absolute gift those years are. 

I want to make decisions for my body or my face based on what I want, not what I think society wants from me because, deep down, I don’t think what society has wanted for women has served us very well. Do what makes you feel your best, but honey, do it for YOU. 

— Caitlin

• FOLLOW: Speaking of aging well, I love following this account for facial massage techniques that are supposed to help with all kinds of shit and, if they don't, at least it feels really good and it's free.

• DRINK: I can't handle the dehydration with this summer weather. Combatting it with a daily dose of Cure (psst: code BTA20 gets you 20%).

• LISTEN: This week’s playlist will make you feel good.