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Can You Afford To Show Signs Of Aging?

Women Have It Bad. Do Men Have It Much Better?

Karina Pawlak
5 min readMar 14, 2025
Susan Sarandon (left). Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (right)

You have heard it before:

Embrace your real face

Grey is beautiful

Aging is a privilege denied to many

If I look like my grandma I will take it as a complement.

I agree with all of these sentiments.

Here is the thing: Women still have to live in the real world. In this world being the beauty standard opens doors. The beauty standard is fit and youthful.

In the real world, husbands leave wives because they don’t look like they did before kids.

In the real world, people who are more beautiful are more likely to get hired and promoted.

In the real world grey haired or obese women are seen as less competent and less likely to be promoted. There was an X thread that talked about how publishers discriminate against obese writers. They want their writers to look pretty and thin for the back of the book cover and occasional meet and greet. Ridiculous. Ridiculous but true.

Face it: in this world if you are a beautiful woman and get into financial trouble, some man will bail you out just for a chance to be near you for a moment. Beauty is currency.

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Karina Pawlak
Karina Pawlak

Written by Karina Pawlak

Philosopher. Artist. Powerlifter. Author of Lifting Weights & Growing Organs. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1927023939

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