Hi Val! This post was so good! You made me laugh and smile…thank you for that!!
I turn 65 in June. A neighbor dropped by for a glass of wine recently and almost immediately suggested a plastic surgeon some of her older friends use. She’s ten years younger. I was like yikes! The truth hurts. I’ve maintained a healthy weight all my life but have embraced the sun. So what do you do??
Don’t look at yourself? No! Everyone else does…
My youngest son get married mid June. I’m not wearing a scarf, but I will try to cover up my elbow wrinkles. My 92 year old mother pointed those out to me last summer. Thanks Mom.🙄
HI - Great post as always. It is so easy to "buy into" all of these claims of various beauty products when one feels a bit desperate. No cream is going to take away a "saggy" neck or my much despised marionette lines no matter how much we wish it was true. Thanks always for your honestly. Hugs.
After a cruddy night’s sleep wherein I spent the entire time holding my tongue suctioned to the roof of my mouth, I wake up to YOU! Why was I holding my tongue suctioned to the roof of my mouth you ask? Because I read that not holding the tongue to the roof of the mouth is what causes a saggy neck and mouth breathing. I suspect only one of these is true or perhaps I’m just delirious from waking up seven times. Alas, if not for waking up, how would I know if I was holding my tongue to the roof of my mouth? Val, it’s like YOU KNEW. xo
ps: The neck cream that’s been hanging out in my shopping cart is going back on the shelf. Thanks!
I've been having a chuckle with myself as I reach for the black turtleneck more than every before. Now I know why the cool, older ladies sport the black turtle neck! I have always been a big scarf wearer so that's helpful too.
I loved this post. My neck doesn’t bother me so much but the jowls do, precisely because I think they make me look like my mother (I am not my mother, I keep reminding myself). I find myself standing in front the mirror, gently “lifting” my face, contemplating getting some work done. But I won’t—it’s too expensive and gravity and death will win in the end anyway. 🤷🏼♀️
Great post! I’m beginning to obsess about my neck because it’s grown skin tags, though not large or plentiful enough to be removed according to my doctor, and am using, as you mentioned, a topical retinoid for the slight crepeyness. It hasn’t gone away, but it’s good to know it can be kept at bay.
Such a good one, Val! Like you, I have (mostly) stopped looking at what can best be described as my melting neck! But then sometimes I’ll see a picture of myself and can’t avert my eyes- the struggle is real! Today’s short-term solution- pull the brilliant Nora Ephron’s book off of the shelf…
Like Ephron, I feel bad about my neck…whenever I turn my iPhone camera on my face and neck, as if to take a selfie. I have the worst turkey neck!
But when I look at photos others have taken of me with my phone or simply look in the mirror, my neck, even at my advanced age, looks just fine. I sometimes think whoever developed the “selfie” technology is in cahoots with the plastic surgery industry. LOL!
On another note, I attribute my relatively smooth neck to the random luck of genetics, plus decades of wearing daily SPF on my face and neck. And moisturizer —not a neck cream—at bedtime.
When I was a very young beauty writer at Harper’s Bazaar, the legendary Vidal
Sassoon and his wife Beverly came up to our offices one day to talk about their new book, “A Year of Beauty and Health.”
In the book Beverly recommended including your neck and décolleté whenever you applied facial moisturizer. That was in 1976, and I have followed that advice ever since!
Simply fabulous post, Val. You checked all the boxes: informative, witty, funny, kind and compassionate.
Val — once again this is the best perspective and reality check. On the precipice of 55, I’m just starting to see my neck droop but find my jowls started sagging ahead of their time. All hail Nora!!
At 68, in a happy, healthy and loving relationship with a man who cares not about my aging body, face or neck I’m doing my best to just be me. At the moment I’m having a flare in my neck & glands. So today I will think the little bit of extra skin there is beautiful as soon as I can move my head to see it!! 😂
Much love to you Val
(no whining was done while writing this reply) 🙄 🤦♀️
Yes, my neck does make me a little unhappy if I dwell on it. Yet I I try to remind myself that I was pretty good with sunscreen slathered on it, and guess what? I'm 61 years old (!!) and my neck isn't supposed to look like it did even in my 40s.
Such a good post. There’s truly not a day that’s goes by where I don’t learn more and more about the need for sunscreen! The first thing that came to mind while reading this was a mental picture of the weird neck, chin, brace/harness things that are super popular in Asia. It seems that around the globe, beauty standards have us all quite literally by the throat.
Hi Val! This post was so good! You made me laugh and smile…thank you for that!!
I turn 65 in June. A neighbor dropped by for a glass of wine recently and almost immediately suggested a plastic surgeon some of her older friends use. She’s ten years younger. I was like yikes! The truth hurts. I’ve maintained a healthy weight all my life but have embraced the sun. So what do you do??
Don’t look at yourself? No! Everyone else does…
My youngest son get married mid June. I’m not wearing a scarf, but I will try to cover up my elbow wrinkles. My 92 year old mother pointed those out to me last summer. Thanks Mom.🙄
HI - Great post as always. It is so easy to "buy into" all of these claims of various beauty products when one feels a bit desperate. No cream is going to take away a "saggy" neck or my much despised marionette lines no matter how much we wish it was true. Thanks always for your honestly. Hugs.
After a cruddy night’s sleep wherein I spent the entire time holding my tongue suctioned to the roof of my mouth, I wake up to YOU! Why was I holding my tongue suctioned to the roof of my mouth you ask? Because I read that not holding the tongue to the roof of the mouth is what causes a saggy neck and mouth breathing. I suspect only one of these is true or perhaps I’m just delirious from waking up seven times. Alas, if not for waking up, how would I know if I was holding my tongue to the roof of my mouth? Val, it’s like YOU KNEW. xo
ps: The neck cream that’s been hanging out in my shopping cart is going back on the shelf. Thanks!
Thanks, Val. I'm going out to buy more pearls.
I've been having a chuckle with myself as I reach for the black turtleneck more than every before. Now I know why the cool, older ladies sport the black turtle neck! I have always been a big scarf wearer so that's helpful too.
A great essay Val, thank you.
I loved this post. My neck doesn’t bother me so much but the jowls do, precisely because I think they make me look like my mother (I am not my mother, I keep reminding myself). I find myself standing in front the mirror, gently “lifting” my face, contemplating getting some work done. But I won’t—it’s too expensive and gravity and death will win in the end anyway. 🤷🏼♀️
Great post! I’m beginning to obsess about my neck because it’s grown skin tags, though not large or plentiful enough to be removed according to my doctor, and am using, as you mentioned, a topical retinoid for the slight crepeyness. It hasn’t gone away, but it’s good to know it can be kept at bay.
What a treat! A HNTFUYF post on a Saturday-great way to start my day, thank you!
Such a good one, Val! Like you, I have (mostly) stopped looking at what can best be described as my melting neck! But then sometimes I’ll see a picture of myself and can’t avert my eyes- the struggle is real! Today’s short-term solution- pull the brilliant Nora Ephron’s book off of the shelf…
Like Ephron, I feel bad about my neck…whenever I turn my iPhone camera on my face and neck, as if to take a selfie. I have the worst turkey neck!
But when I look at photos others have taken of me with my phone or simply look in the mirror, my neck, even at my advanced age, looks just fine. I sometimes think whoever developed the “selfie” technology is in cahoots with the plastic surgery industry. LOL!
On another note, I attribute my relatively smooth neck to the random luck of genetics, plus decades of wearing daily SPF on my face and neck. And moisturizer —not a neck cream—at bedtime.
When I was a very young beauty writer at Harper’s Bazaar, the legendary Vidal
Sassoon and his wife Beverly came up to our offices one day to talk about their new book, “A Year of Beauty and Health.”
In the book Beverly recommended including your neck and décolleté whenever you applied facial moisturizer. That was in 1976, and I have followed that advice ever since!
Simply fabulous post, Val. You checked all the boxes: informative, witty, funny, kind and compassionate.
Val — once again this is the best perspective and reality check. On the precipice of 55, I’m just starting to see my neck droop but find my jowls started sagging ahead of their time. All hail Nora!!
😂 i definitely needed the giggle today Val!
Thank for making me laugh!
At 68, in a happy, healthy and loving relationship with a man who cares not about my aging body, face or neck I’m doing my best to just be me. At the moment I’m having a flare in my neck & glands. So today I will think the little bit of extra skin there is beautiful as soon as I can move my head to see it!! 😂
Much love to you Val
(no whining was done while writing this reply) 🙄 🤦♀️
Wear a striking scarf, something really pretty.
Fucking brilliant.
Yes, my neck does make me a little unhappy if I dwell on it. Yet I I try to remind myself that I was pretty good with sunscreen slathered on it, and guess what? I'm 61 years old (!!) and my neck isn't supposed to look like it did even in my 40s.
Such a good post. There’s truly not a day that’s goes by where I don’t learn more and more about the need for sunscreen! The first thing that came to mind while reading this was a mental picture of the weird neck, chin, brace/harness things that are super popular in Asia. It seems that around the globe, beauty standards have us all quite literally by the throat.