Why Do We Expect Women To Remain Frozen in Time?

It seems like every week there's another extremely public victim of the vicious beauty standards we hold for women. And this summer, we saw indisputable proof that our world treats aging like it's a curse (but only for women). 

Jennifer Love Hewitt was a '90s screen queen. She was a bona fide movie star…and then she stepped out of the spotlight, at least to some degree.

But now that Jennifer Love Hewitt is back on the big screen (ICYMI: a reboot of the cult classic I Know What You Did Last Summer dropped this summer), people seem fixated on the fact that she doesn’t look exactly the same as she did while filming the original film — which was *checks notes* nearly 30 years ago.

But I mean…of course she’s changed? Of course she doesn’t look like a literal teenager now, as a 46-year-old mother of three.

The commentary has been truly gross, with people saying she has “let herself go”. And this isn’t just about the pressures of fame, the narrow beauty standards, or the constant stream of commentary on women’s bodies. It’s also about the idea that women need to chase youth constantly. Because we expect women to be mature...but also to remain frozen in time.

The reality is, we evolve. Our bodies and faces change. So do our souls and minds and hearts and goals and our priorities. And that’s not just okay, that’s beautiful.

I am not here to say that we shouldn't ever bow to the expectation that women stay stuck in their teenage bodies. If botox and filler and hair dye make you feel more confident, that’s fantastic. But I think we all need to remind ourselves that this world wants women to remain fixed…and we were never meant to do that.

Ask Clara: How do beauty standars affect women in middle age?