Like you, I like my wrinkles, and am horrified at the idea that someone would urge me to wipe away the traces that my life has left on my body. Its part of me. Personally, the more artificial someone’s appearance is, the more ugly they are. Beauty comes from within. The cosmetic industry encourages people to adopt deception as an identity, and that is ugly.

Fatima Mernissi wrote a fascinating book on this subject, actually. I believe its called “The European Harem”. She posits that Western women, told they are worthless if not attractive to 18 year old boys, are not allowed to grow up. To become Women. To come into their full power as adults. They are held in a place of adolescence. She calls it the “harem of size 6″

At the end of the book, she is on a plane and offers up a prayer to God where she essentially says, “Oh Allah! Thank You for having me born in the culture where harems are built with walls and veils instead of the land of the harem of size 6! How could I take to the streets protesting that my rights are being violated because I can’t find a skirt that fits?”