It’s the age we’re meant to be past it. Past our physical prime, sure, but also past the insecurities that can consume us in our youth. If only that was the case.
It’s true that with age we tend to be happier , calmer , wiser , have better sex , are in better relationships and are better at making decisions . But to suggest that we magically grow out of our youthful afflictions is naive at best. Recovery from poor body image and disordered eating is possible, but it doesn’t involve diets or more self-control.
Credit: Getty Images The torment of poor body image and disordered eating persists for many men and women. Regardless of their shape or size, more than 70 per cent of Australian women between the ages of 40 and 72 feel dissatisfied with the way they look. According to the support organisation Butterfly Foundation , in Australia, 1.
1 million people experience an eating disorder in any given year and, though it is an under-studied area, research published last month suggests that disordered eating in our 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s is common. There is also evidence to suggest that we are particularly susceptible in midlife because of normal age-related changes to our bodies, skin and hair; destabilising life-changes such as divorce, caring for elderly parents, having children, the death of a loved one and menopause; as well as a natural divergence from the socio-cultural ideals we absorb that, as women, we are only worthy if we are thin, youthful and beautiful. Although .