Do you think that women age faster than men?

[Anonymous]

I notice that actors who are nearly forty can many times play someone in their late 20's. In fact, Brad Pitt is nearly 50 and they don't ever cast him in as the grandpa or anything like that. He could play recent graduate or young professional and no one would think that he looks too old to play that kind of role.

Whereas, I don't ever see that happening with women. Female actors have a shorter shelf-life than male actors, and I'm wondering why that is.

Do you think that women, generally speaking, age faster than men and that's why men can play younger characters than women?

Yes

No

Updates

+1 y

Or, do you think that signs of aging are just more noticeable on women than on men? Whether it's because the wrinkles are more clear on women's skin or society scrutinizes women's faces more than men's?

Updates

+1 y

The recent grad or something like that is an exaggeration. But, 10 years seems to be the norm with actors. I don't see anything like that with actresses. Many times, actresses play OLDER than their actual age. Like Angelina Jolie playing Alexander the Great's mom, even though she and Collin Ferrell are the same age.

Updates

+1 y

But, the mother of a man in his early 30's who looked like Angelina Jolie did in the movie would still be a hot older woman, though.

[kheserthorpe]

I voted no.

I don't think its so much that women age -faster- then men, and I'm not sure older actors can really play young ones that easily. Brad Pitt today would like quite odd as a recent graduate. If you surround him with 25 year olds, he'll look old.

What's different is that men are considered attractive (if in shape) for much longer then women do, and frankly peak later. 20 year old women may drool over 20 year old males, but older women actually tend to prefer more mature ones.

Its not that a 50 year old guy can pass for 25, its that he can pass for 36 and that's still hot for men. 36 year old women are typically already passing for 28 year old women if they are considered hot, by the time they are 50 they are clearly past their 'prime' which ends much sooner. Not that some of them don't still look good.

[Asker]

That makes sense.

[animalwithin]

They don't age faster, however I believe men age "better" from what I've seen. Some of this is due to the factthat women have it tough: childbirth is something that exhausts a woman and if shunt originally in shape prior, it could really agea woman with regards to stress on her body. Another things is osteoporosis. Women stat losing bone mass in their late 20s if I am not mistaken. Yet another big things is attitude. Iv met A LOT of women who feel like after they hit 25 they can no longer be attractive so they don't take care of themselves as much. Then they hit 30 and blame their age for the way they look rather than the fact that they don't eat healthy or exercise. I know many incredible women in their 30s and 40s who look amazing and I truly believe that age is just a number and that Pppies to both men and women.

[Izzy2102]

Biologically men age faster. Actors are very different from reality. Female actors are mainly supposed to appeal to men and male actors are mainly supposed to appeal to women. And obviously the two have different preferences. Men generally place a big importance of youth while women place less importance on it. That allows male actors to rely more charisma than female actors.

Women often hve to deal with more stress than men which obviously makes people age a bit faster. But also male skin usually is a bit rougher, more hairy and less elsatic and than female skin which makes signs of aging less obvious

[Asker]

I think that you're right. :D. I think that men's skin is rougher than women's, so that makes sense.

Also, facial hair probably does hide signs of aging really well. If we all had beards, all men ages 20 to 40 would look roughly about the same age.

When I was in my early 20's and had a clean-shaven face, I looked like I might've been in high school. Especially, when I was in fast food.

Yet, when I had a beard in high school, some parent asked if I was my younger brother's dad!

[Anonymous]

I think men would like to THINK they age better than women. Its hard to compare someone like brad Pitt to the typical 50 year old male. A typical 50 year male is balding, beer belly etc. Very few men look like brad Pitt. On the same note, most 50 year old women do not look spectacular either, but men certainly don't age better than women. The average 50 year old man will actually look older (as in having more wrinkles etc ) than the average 50 year old woman. But aging is most definitely harder on women because we are valued more for our looks than men are.

[Asker]

I'm not so sure. I think that as far as wrinkles go, men tend to have more pronounced wrinkles than women but women have more fine wrinkles.

[Opinion Owner]

Men definitely have more wrinkles overall. They have deep wrinkles (which most women don't get until their 50/60s) and they have more fine lines. Women age better physically in terms of appearance and biologically (which is why women live longer on average). But the waging process is easier on men in the sense that their looks weren't a big deal in the first place, that's all

[Asker]

If that's the case, then why don't actresses get to play someone 10 years younger like their male peers? Why is it that only young women can play young women, and not older women?

You can say that men are valued for more than looks, but Hollywood is all about appearances. They wouldn't have Clint Eastwood play a high school kid just because he's charismatic or a good actor, right?

So, why is it that men can play 10 to 15 years younger than what they are in movies, and not women?

[Opinion Owner]

All actors generally play characters younger than their age. Most high school movies feature actors in their late 20s. Male actors are not playing younger roles moreso than female actors. Its just that male actors have a longer shelf life, if you will. For example, Daniel Craig plays James bond and he has a lot of aging and wrinkles. He's definitely not passing for a young guy (neither would brad Pitt EVER pass for a recent grad either by the way lol) but he's still able to get roles because James bond

[Opinion Owner]

Is an older character. There are fewer options for older actresses because there are simply less roles for older women and women in general. Few women are the headliners in a superhero flick. Women tend to star in Rom coms and dramas and these movies tend to feature romance of younger couples for the most part. Men certainly age worse than women, no doubt about it, but their looks were not super important in the first place.

[Opinion Owner]

@ update : actresses play younger characters all the time. Olivia Newton John was nearly 30 when she was in grease as a high schooler. Its common practice for actors and actresses to play roles younger than themselves, and older. You seem very hell bent on proving men age/look better than women, even though your theories have been disproven several times. May I ask why?

[Asker]

The recent grad was definitely an exaggeration. I probably should have used a better example. :D.

Daniel Craig, in real life, would probably be too old to be a field spy anyways. In real life, they'd either have him promoted to management or he'd retire from the spy business a long time ago.

Yet, Daniel Craig is still, somehow, more convincing than most actors in their 20's.

But, you have a point. No one in their late 30's or 40's could ever pass for 20-something.

[Asker]

I wouldn't say that I'm hell-bent at all! And, you're right about the movie Grease, and I was thinking about it earlier, but didn't mention it because back then very few professional actors were that age at that time.

Like, in the movie "Get Smart". Anne Hathaway played Agent 99. Compare her to the the actress of the TV show Barbara Feldon. Barbara was around 10 years older than Anne when they played that same role.

[Asker]

Difference between then and now, is that most actresses weren't really that young. Looking at her career, before she was an actress she was a model and she was in her early 30's. Her big break came in a seductive role for a TV commercial directed towards men.

If you were to take her to our time, she'd be too old to do that kind of modeling. People would tell her that she's getting started too late, that her window of opportunity passed. Yet, in her day, that was the norm.

[Opinion Owner]

Have you seen the vs models? Most of the big ones are in their late 20s and early 30s.

[Asker]

And, I'm definitely not hell-bent. I'm just being argumentative, but that doesn't mean that I want to prove anything. I'm just throwing thoughts out to people getting their feedback. I don't really care if men age better or not. It doesn't change anything for me, either way. :D.

[Opinion Owner]

Great!

[Asker]

Yeah, you're right. I kind of forgot about that. :|. Maybe our society is just the same then?

[Opinion Owner]

I dunno. But I just don't think men are able to get more roles as they're older because they look better. I think its because there's just more roles out there for older men

[Asker]

Yeah, I agree with you now. :D.

[princessmoonlight]

not necessarily my grandma is 70 and she looks about 40 it's all in how you take care of yourself. and my aunt is 40 and looks way younger she always gets carded. And what about Madonna? some people just have younger looking faces than others. Maybe women just want to play more mature roles anyway when they get older well some of them look up Mary Pickford she played kids and young adults basically her whole life.

link

[Asker]

Honestly, I think that women from her time weren't exposed to so many bad things that would have made them age as fast as women do now. :|

[Anonymous]

I think most women age faster definitely. We tend to put ourselves through crazy stress with our hormones and having babies. Not just that though but I think all of the cosmetics us women use on our faces tend to have bad effects the older we get. Plus most women go to tanning booths, get chemical treatments, ect. All of that can cause premature wrinkles, scars, ect. It's annoying to me that I have to wear contacts because under one eye I already have this big wrinkle from rubbing my eyes and pulling on it to put the contact in. :D I am only 20! URG! >.<

[Asker]

Well, stress can definitely have an affect on your complexion. But, to what effect does stress alone do to your looks?

We all know that weight gain can definitely make you look older - just look at Adele. Many times, stress will make people gain weight for both men and women. And, many women have a hard time keeping weight off after they give birth to a child.

I think that tanning too much will make you age faster, as well. And, with women tanning is more popular than with men.

[gemglam]

No women don't necessary age faster than men. A part of the aging process has to do with diet too. Saw Kylie Minogue (she is a singer) on TV yesterday and she looks like she is in her early 30's. The thing with female actors though is that they have to deal with a double standard in the industry. Once they start getting older, the industry start to type cast them as such. I know in my family thatsnot the case. I am 31 and people tell me I look like I am in my early 20's. My mother, sisters, and even cousins look way younger than they are. So I disagree with your theory.

[native65]

It has many factors.. Most of it comes down to two major factors.. genetics, and the other is life style. Some people have it in their genes to look younger a little longer than most. And life style is a BIG one. If you party hard most of your life it puts a beating on your organs. Smoke = Heart, Lungs, & Skin. Alcohol = Liver, kidneys, skin, & brain... Drugs like cocaine, heroin, etc.. that damages mostly all your organs. The medical community states that your liver changes color immediately after you take your first drink of alcohol. Your liver is what cleans your blood, that starts going bad it starts to give your cells through out your body toxins for food... Your skin is the largest organ you have, alcohol & drugs dry it up makes it leathery looking, you start to wrinkle a lot more than someone who doesn't...

[justme20]

men always think they age better than women. Men don't age any better or worse. Majority of men are worn out looking after age 30 sorry but its true. Celebs have personal trainers and a makeup team. They can make ANYONE looks younger and better. Take that sh*t off and I'm sure he looks just as wore out as majority of men in this world

[Asker]

Maybe that's true for most people, but I think with white people it might be the reverse. White women tend to like going to the tanning beds alot, and expose them to massive amounts of UV radiation. Since, white people don't have as much melanin as some of the darker races, it makes their skin can't handle radiation exposure as well.

[Asker]

Sorry, looking back, I have atrocious grammar and sentence structure. I'm kind of tired right now. :D.

[justme20]

LOL its ok.. Yeah whites do age much faster than others.

[various]

With the amount of plastic surgery women get these days, I'd say f*** yes. But at the end of the day, everyone ages (whether you're male or female). I know men who look awful by the time they've hit their late 30's and then there other men who look amazing. There are also women who look damn old by the time THEY are in their 30's, while many other look flawless. I guess if you take care of yourself well, you can get away with it.

[Asker]

Plus, genes probably play a role in it as well.

[thisusername2]

Nobody buys that these older actors are that much younger though, people just look past that. Men don't age any better than women.

With modern day beauty products its actually the opposite. Women age better than men, generally speaking. Look a Halle Berry 46/Adam Sandler 46. Jon Favreau. Selma Hayek both also 46. The women have definitely aged far better. That seems to be the norm these days. Just because the guys are playing younger characters does not mean the audience is buying it just looking past it.

Women are just more scrutinized in out society that is all. Not just in the area of appearence but in all aspects of our lives. Men are held to a low standard while women are held to a high standard.

[Asker]

I'll be honest, you're comparing white men to non-white women. Honestly, I think that white women age worse than Hispanic or black women. But, that's another debate altogether. :D.

[thisusername2]

How about Julianne Moore then. She is white and is 52 and looks far younger than either of those women. And definitely younger than those men who are younger than her.

[Asker]

Wow! Good one. And, she's got a fair complexion and red hair.

[yoyo123]

I think men become "distinguished" as they get older, but I know a lot of men who look considerably older than their significant others who are the same age. I'm 25, and most people tell me that I look younger. My boyfriend is 26, and he looks like he's in his early 30's. I think it just depends on facial structure and lifestyle factors, honestly

[Asker]

I definitely think lifestyle has a lot to do with it. I think that drinking alcohol and smoking makes you age faster, and exercise and good diet help prevent aging. And, this applies to any sex.

[myspacemybroke]

I think whether by actual degeneration rates or just where society sets its standards, men age far better than women do.

Possibly because we tend to associate women's attractiveness with how youthful and possibly fertile they are, whereas men usually hit around the mature and worldly stable spectrum. There both kind of at opposite ends of the scale. Perhaps why it's not considered too out of place for a substantially older man to date a substantially younger woman as compared to the inverse.

[RedSmartie]

It's not that we age faster, but there is a higher value on a woman's youth. A man who looks older is viewed as respectable and a man that looks younger is viewed as irresponsible and inexperienced. A woman who looks older is viewed as having worn out her use and a woman who looks younger is still fresh and fertile. It's biological more than anything else.

Plus, having babies doesn't wreck a guy's body.

[britannny]

You can hardly compare Brad Pitt to the average man. Or anyone in Hollywood, really.

[Asker]

True.

[AnnieVincereVelMori]

Maybe because women's bodies/minds go through hell and back for the purpose of keeping the population alive, we appear to age faster than men. But we look damn good doing it!

[Asker]

Maybe, but I'm starting to think that men in general might age faster than women in general. Because, men probably go through more stress from working. Men in Hollywood and maybe men from the rest of society's elite groups, might not age as fast as their fast their female peers because they're already exposed to less stress than the average person and don't have to give birth to babies.

Or, at least they look better than the average man. But, personal trainers and money does help.

[pheabs]

my opinion : they definitley do. . unfortunatley .

I mean, a man in his 50's is still considered

attractive! but a woman has already started to faid . .:/

[SmartArst]

No, remember women have a lot of makeup and take good care of there skin. Most guys by the time there 40 look completly different than when they were 20. Women on the other hand other than a wrinkle or two look the same if they take good care of themselvs.

[ShyAndPetiteAsian]

I voted Yes.

However,Asian/oriental women can sometimes look 10-20 years younger than non-Asian men of the same age if they have really good skin without freckles,nice glossy hair and are slim.

[toulouse]

no women do not age faster than men. men actually generally lose hair and get a gut and man breasts as they age. women take better care of themselves.

there are just few ugly women in movies. whereas very many fat old wrinkly m,en land major roles. its nothing to do with aging. just descrimination and sexual objectification of women in the movie industry.

[Asker]

Well, weight is always bad for any sex. I think that with the older generations men tend to be more overweight than men. But, in men's defense, it is usually because we work.

However, with the younger generations, it seems to be the reverse. A lot of young women are overweight in America, and you'll see couples where the guy is skinny and the woman is big. Rarely the other way around when they're young.

[Asker]

*men tend to be more overweight than women.

[crazybastard]

hell yea. we men keep getting better with age. and women look so f***ing horrible. not all of course. but they put even more make up when they age and its like bitch! I know you are old don't be trying to hide it.

[ksysoup]

Ameircan women age faster after 18 than men.

at about 50 or 60 - women age slower

In general Asian women age slower than American women especially between 18-28

Again after 60 - Asians age faster

[Izzy2102]

ya right

[Enideqa]

I really think it depends on how a person lives their life, genetics and so on.

[Anonymous]

It just depends on the person not gender

[nancyjune561]

yes