Anti-aging has been a new age phenomenon. We can barely scroll on our social media pages without being encouraged to try a new anti-aging product. It’s no wonder the anxiety of maturing is infiltrating the minds of young women every day. Adelina Winfield, known as The Fly Granny on Instagram, is among several maturing women working to change how we view aging today. Her fashion, skincare, and grey positivity journey has inspired women of all ages to embrace the journey.
Online and in-person, Winfield comes across as confident and truly comfortable in her skin, but she wastes no time letting us know it has been a journey.
“I began feeling the shift in my age when I turned 40. My body was going through many changes, and I didn’t feel youthful or beautiful anymore,” says Winfield. Winfield is open about her journey through menopause, describing it as a time she had to “relearn herself.” The side effects of menopause can be vigorous and isolating for women. According to a study conducted by Post Reproductive Health, 94.1% of women were never taught about menopausal symptoms. This is largely due to women keeping their menopausal and aging experiences private. Winfield says, “No one was discussing these topics at the time, and I felt lost.”
"I began feeling the shift in my age when I turned 40. My body was going through many changes, and I didn’t feel youthful or beautiful anymore."
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The next few years were growing pains for Winfield. A divorce, menopause, and becoming an empty nester were just a few jarring life changes. As time went on, she began to date and feel comfortable in her body, but there was one challenge Winfield had been avoiding - her grey hair. “I had been dyeing my hair for decades. My son would try to convince me to go grey and embrace my inner ‘storm,’ but I refused in fear of looking older.” That mindset changed on a family trip to Italy. Winfield opted for silver faux locks that caused her to attract attention from bystanders. “People complimented my hair the entire trip, which gave me the confidence to let it go [grey].”
Simultaneously, Winfield had been sharing her grey hair journey online and found what she calls a “silver sister community.” Her story reached a demographic of thousands of mature women who could finally relate to an influencer who shared their experiences. Winfield had also found other maturing content creators redefining what life after 60 looks like. “We no longer say ‘anti-aging’ in our community; we call it ‘pro-aging,’” she says with immense joy. The idea of pro-aging brings ease to my millennial ears as I listen to Winfield’s story.
"We no longer say ‘anti-aging’ in our community; we call it ‘pro-aging.'"
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Millennial and Gen-Z women have become deeply obsessed with holding on to their youth. This is mainly due to the beauty industry constantly pushing products against the aging process. Additionally, most beauty brands are not mindful about who they are marketing to. The topic of young girls under the age of 18 buying anti-aging products has found its way online.
This caused Dove to move the conversation forward by creating the #FaceOf10Ten campaign. Encouraging young girls everywhere to embrace their youth. It’s time beauty brands begin to provide age restrictions on their products, and as a society, we need to have more conversations around pro-aging instead of anti-aging.
“I want women to know that life doesn’t end at 40 or 50; it’s just getting started.”
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