Women often experience intense stress in their quest to preserve youth due to a combination of social pressure and their own internal fears of losing attractiveness.

The High Cost of Youth: Society's War Against Aging

Women often experience intense stress in their quest to preserve youth due to a combination of social pressure and their own internal fears of losing attractiveness. This feeling is reinforced by cultural norms that dictate a woman must look younger and "more beautiful" to be accepted and desired in society. Examples from the biographies of outstanding women vividly illustrate how the fear of aging pushes some to extreme measures—from withdrawing from public life to completely concealing their true age. Thus, the desire to slow aging becomes not only a reaction to inner anxiety but also a way to defy imposed standards where old age is perceived as a flaw.

Furthermore, there is an economic aspect to the issue: the enormous revenues of the cosmetic industry drive the availability of means and methods aimed at combating the signs of aging. It is precisely the fear of "old age" that stimulates the consumption of all kinds of cosmetic products and even surgical interventions, highlighting that women's motivations stem from a desire to conform to the ideals of youth promoted by society and the market.

Supporting citation(s):
"Forget about Lyudmila and Marina! Vera Figner, a professional revolutionary who spent 20 years in prison—a steadfast fighter with nerves of steel and a person of principle—rejected artists’ requests to paint her portrait for posterity, fearing that she would appear old and unattractive. For the same reason, the great Greta Garbo ended her acting career at the age of 36, and she has not been seen since. Marlene Dietrich, in her later years, avoided meetings even with those who were once close to her. Raisa P., after once hearing in a store 'Come on, move it, granny,' stubbornly refused to leave her apartment thereafter, citing aching legs, numerous steps everywhere, and dust on the street." (source: link txt)

"The terror of aging brings unimaginable profits to the cosmetics industry; the consumption of all sorts of emulsions, tonics, lotions, nourishing masks, and other skincare products is growing exponentially.

Miraculous creams with added stem cells may soon emerge; their promised effect is like that in 'The Master and Margarita': apply it and transform into a twenty-year-old—who would refuse, no matter the price?

The battle for beauty is not limited to exhausting diets, rigorous workouts on exercise machines, aerobics, and clever makeup tricks; risky surgical interventions are in high demand: liposuction (removing fat deposits), abdominoplasty—the 'correction' of the stomach—and facelifts, which supposedly eliminate wrinkles but in reality merely mask them." (source: link txt)