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This is an excerpt from MEGA August 2025 Beauty Op-Ed
“You look good for 40” is probably the most backhanded compliment you could give to a 40-year-old because what do you mean by that?
When I am told I don’t look my age, it makes me wonder how the other older women in their lives look like. This is considering that these days, getting procedures and even surgeries to look younger is normalized. Not everyone can afford expensive creams and/or trips to the dermatologist. Many women go through life without ever using sunscreen.
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I am always told that I don’t look my age and I am flattered, of course. Thanks to my mother’s genes, I only started getting crow’s feet in my 50s and forehead lines when I turned 60, which is also the age when I first tried Botox.
These days, it is a youthful world out there. I remember once attending a beauty event and meeting a lovely girl who I thought was in her 20s. A few months later, I saw the same girl celebrating her passing the entrance exam of her dream college on TikTok. So it means that when I met her, she was in high school!
Admittedly, it is challenging to live in a world where women, or at least those who we see on social media, have faces that seem free from wrinkles and fine lines.
“It’s not easy being in your 50s in such a youth-centric world. Especially because in my mind, I’m stuck at age 27, still curious, excited and eager to experience everything life has to offer, and with the same wide-eyed wonder,” said Myrza Sison, 58, certified executive and confidence coach, motivational speaker, content creator, and podcaster of You Can Do This!
When Kara Santiago Dagdag was in her 20s, she wanted to become 38, which was her mother’s age at that time. Her mother was a flight attendant who was tall, slim, and beautiful. Not surprisingly, Kara grew up being compared to her.
“I didn’t enjoy my 20s. I was always looking forward to being 38 (my mom’s age at that time, haha). It was such a magical number for me. And now that I’m here, I wish I enjoyed my 20s more. It also didn’t help that the magazines at home were InStyle, Elle, Vogue, filled with images of perfect, polished celebrities,” said Kara, co-founder of Link Strategies, a PR and marketing agency.
Justine Llarena, a model and artist in her 20s, recalled how she won a session of Profhilo, an injectable treatment designed to improve skin quality, hydration, and elasticity, and offered it to her mom.
“She immediately and firmly said no, I asked why and she told me that the wrinkles that I see on her face are a reflection of being a human. ‘it’s a reflection of my happy, sad, and angry moments, and I don’t want to get rid of it ‘cause it is what makes me, me today.’ That stuck with me ever since,” said Justine.
Myrza said she has stopped competing with her younger self.
“I’ve learned to shift my mindset. Instead of dwelling on the visual signs of youth that I’ve lost (such as skin elasticity, or a child-like physique!), I try to focus on everything I’ve gained: Perspective, wisdom, and the confidence to say exactly what I think. Come to think of it, my younger self cannot compete with that!”
Myrza said the idea of “aging gracefully” usually translates to “aging while still looking young”or “not aging.”
“The expression ‘Looking good—for her age’ really means ‘Looking young while being old,’ she explained.
Justine has had Masseter (jaw) Botox to make her face slimmer and a chin implant to improve her profile and these definitely boosted her confidence.
“As a transwoman, I think aging is beautiful cause not everyone has the privilege to see tomorrow and I know for a fact that even though life is challenging sometimes, there are so many things to be celebrated.”
Read more about Dinna’s conversation with Myrza, Kara, and Justin about embracing aging in MEGA’s August 2025 issue, now available on Readly, Magzter, Press Reader and Zinio.
Photography by: CENON AT MAV. Art Direction by CLARE MAGNO. Creative Direction by MARA GO. Producer THESSMAR LECTURA. Makeup MIZ RAFFY. Hair MATT LEDESMA. Model JUSTINE LLARENA. Assistant Art Director TROY NONATO. Photography Assistant MIGHT MERCADO
