Alice Catherine Alice Catherine

I Recently I had the opportunity to watch the new campaign video by skincare brand SK-II, a brand that I had heard lots about but didn’t have much first hand experience with. As an avid skincare lover, I was immediately intrigued by the video and opened it up straight away to see what it was all about. In just a few short minutes, the film manages to capture a feeling that so many women will be familiar with – this idea that as women, we are born with an expiry date. Or in short, societal expectations which we seem to constantly have to battle in order to be happy and content…

The film really resonated with me as a newly turned twenty five year old – it’s that middle of the way feeling that can often fill a lot of people my age with dread. Am I meant to have my career figured out? Be in a stable relationship? Be thinking about a nice house full of children in the next five years? It’s often overwhelming, and the truth is things come to people at all different times. Comparison is the reason for a lot of unhappiness, and something we should try to avoid as much as possible. It’s human nature to compare yourself, especially people the same age who seem to have everything figured out and wrapped up in a neat little bow. What we have to remind ourselves, and what the film portrays so brilliantly, is that we are in charge of ourselves completely, and we as women must come together to dissolve the expectations that naturally accompany our gender. A gender we didn’t get to choose, but one that we should work hard to be proud of everyday.

The film focuses it’s narrative around three different women and the different ways they feel the strain of getting older. I think this is something that we experience from a young age – being the last to get our adult teeth, to start our periods, to lose our virginity, pass our driving tests, go to university, the list goes on. At some point every single one of us have felt like we are being left behind in some way, and this is the chord the film struck in me whilst I watched it. In just a few short minutes it manages to take you back to those times in your life where you may have felt this way, before ultimately ending with a positive message. As someone who has struggled relentlessly with finding my calling in life, I have definitely been guilty of feeling I have an expiry date. There’s also this weird stigma attached to women turning thirty – as if people automatically start feeling sorry for us, that life really doesn’t get much better than being in your twenties. At twenty five, I’ve only just dipped my toes into the blogging world, there’s still so much that I want to explore, and who knows, one day it might be that blogging isn’t my chosen career path after all. We as women feel so much pressure to have things figured out – can I honestly see myself being ready to get married and have children in the next five years? The answer is no, but are people around me doing so all the time? Of course, but that’s the thing to remind ourselves – we are all different, we all have different journeys, we all experience life at different times.

The thing I really loved about the film is that it wasn’t product lead – it would seem in bad taste to create a beautiful film encouraging women to be free and accept themselves, before swiftly mentioning a new anti ageing cream at the end. This is what drew me to the brand – they are creating honest campaigns that are authentic and encourage important conversations amongst women and the rest of the world. Society has a bad habit of romanticising youth – in particular young women. We are considered more radiant, more beautiful, more powerful because we somehow have the world at our fingertips. This often makes us anxious to become the amazing women that we are meant to be, women that own their age and aren’t defined by it. We must remind ourselves that we don’t have a pre determined fate – that we as women, are entitled to exciting experiences at any age. Life is as fulfilling as we dare to make it…

I hope you enjoyed this blog post as it’s a topic I’ve thoroughly enjoyed writing about – would love to hear your thoughts on the film in the comments below!

Alice x


Photography by Adriana

T-shirt – Ganni (sold out) | Cami – And Other Stories | Jeans – Vintage Levi | Shoes – Vintage | Bag – Etsy

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This post is sponsored by SK-II
All views discussed entirely my own!

 

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8 Comments

  1. Sarah says:

    I really enjoyed reading this, and can very much relate to it. I feel a lot of pressure by certain friends comments and it does get to me. On the other hand I think there is a whole world out there that I would love to explore but I am 28 and panic about that ‘expiry date’. I found this blog and the video very inspiring.

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you! 28 is so young – I know quite a few people in their 30’s and I forget they are five years older than me. It’s really all just a mental thing, never be scared to explore, those are the memories you’ll treasure the most xx

  2. Holly White says:

    Age is a number, it’s definitely more about your mentality!

    Lovely post! xxx

  3. Clare says:

    I totally relate to this. At 34 I’m only just starting to figure things out. I thought I was getting too old to still be confused but I’m learning now I have my whole life to enjoy the things I love and make them work for me, that I don’t have to be someone else. Also, when I tell people my age people often looked surprised and say “oh I thought you were about 26.” I get that all the time and yes it’s nice but when people add “you definitely don’t look 34” I think but what would be wrong with that anyway? 34 is definitely not old and actually I’m very proud to be this age as I’ve been through a lot and made it here in tact. Most people over 30 I know look great, especially the ones who look their age because they often look like they know themselves. Aging is great and should absolutely be celebrated more xx

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thanks for reading! I agree with you – really annoys me when people say ‘she looks good’ shortly followed by ‘for her age anyway’. We should be able to look good and feel good at every age xx

  4. Camille says:

    Hi Alice!
    It’s my first time commenting here but your article really stroke a chord with me. I’ll be turning 29 in less than a month and I definitely feel this expiry date tattooed not on my wrist like in the film but on my forehead. I feel it when my grandparents are asking me when I’ll present them a boyfriend, I feel it when some relatives ask me if I’ll be the next one to get married, I feel it when I scroll the pages of social media like Facebook and I see people getting married, having children while I’m still single. I even feel like I’m letting my parents down because I’m sure they would like to see me happily married. It’s really stupid because I know that I’m not ready and that I’m still a teenage at heart, wanting nothing more than binge-watching TV shows while eating ice cream, reading, buying tons and tons of clothes, being free and not depending on anyone!
    Thanks a lot for this inspiring post!

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Hey! I’m exactly the same, still feel like a kid but with adult responsibilities, I think a lot of people feel that way! Also, you can be happily married at any age – it’s much better to be single and happy than with the wrong person for fear of never finding anyone else. Also you’ve really made me crave ice cream now ha xx

  5. Antonia says:

    I really enjoyed reading this, and, in some ways, can relate to the things you said. Even though I’m not even an adult yet, I sometimes catch myself stressing out because, at the age of 15, I have never even had a crush, let alone been in love. Whilst others my age (and younger) have had one or two serious relationships. It’s not that I don’t know that I still have so much time to do all these things, to live life the fullest, but sometimes I do feel left behind. Which isn’t true at all. I know that I have time, that I should take my time, but there are days when I just can’t help it. On the other hand, all I want to do is explore the world, read as many books as possible, cry over as many fictional characters as possible, stuff myself with good food and just run free for as long as I can. I don’t want to worry about a relationship, or wether I’m being too selfish to even have one.

    Thank you so much for not only this, but all the other lovely and inspiring posts and messages on this blog! xx

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