Latina Beauty
Thalia writes a powerful essay about age discrimination and youth-centric standards
The star shed light on a pressing issue that affects many in the entertainment industry and beyond
Thalia knows music is a powerful source of inspiration; however, the power of a well-written essay can impact many. In a heartfelt return, the renowned Mexican singer and actress took over the pages of Vogue Mexico as a guest writer to shed light on a pressing issue that affects many in the entertainment industry and beyond age discrimination.
Through her poignant words and intimate revelations, Thalia delves deep into her journey, sharing the challenges she has faced and the resilience that has propelled her forward in an industry often defined by youth-centric standards.
With her eloquence and authenticity, Thalia aims to break down barriers and inspire readers to embrace their journeys, irrespective of age, as she fearlessly advocates for a more inclusive and accepting world.
According to Thalia, a few months ago, she read a few articles that caught her attention for the wrong reasons. “In these publications, I was surprised to see a common theme regarding fashion and age,” she explains. “Headlines like ‘Style for Wearing Sneakers at 50,’ ‘How to Wear Loose Pants and Nike Sneakers at 50,’ ‘A List of Perfect Heels for 50+,’ and more struck me. However, the one that intrigued me the most was an article suggesting how to wear a dress at 50 based on a design I had worn.”
The superstar said that seeing herself as an example of how a woman in her 50s should be, sparked something in her. “Many questions flooded my mind,” she wrote, adding that she is intrigued by knowing “what defines what a woman should wear at fifty.”
Thalia said that she is surprised at how writers continue to publish these types of stories when “the world’s runways in Milan, Paris, New York, and more have embraced and celebrated gender, body, race, and even age differences.”
“I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, thinking that perhaps the writers of these notes might be from another generation – maybe younger – but then I realized that these articles go through a review process at various levels of the editorial before being published,” she said.
The star said that despite “we have collectively brought conversations to the table about sexism, racism, physical appearance, or body shaming,” ageism seems to be an issue. “We are all heading there! It’s the only thing from which no one can escape: age,” she says, highlighting that the word “anti-aging” can also “leads to negativity and rejection.”
“In the same anti-aging concept we see in millions of ads, bombarding us on our phones, on the streets, on TV or social media ads, or in magazines, it is intrinsically linked to our self-esteem, our acceptance, our worth, making it clear that growing older, aging, body changes, hormonal shifts, expression lines, gray hair, physical energy loss – everything related to the passage of time – is wrong,” she noted.
Thalia encourages everyone to, instead of perpetuating age discrimination and promoting unrealistic standards, we should foster conversations that empower individuals of all ages to feel confident, beautiful, and valued. “We have to change the narrative. We need to create safe and realistic dialogues where we can learn about the wonders that the passage of time brings us,” she advises.
Thalia emphasizes that she favors cosmetic enhancements, and her complaint concerns something other than resorting to the operating room to look younger. “In my case, when needed, I won’t hesitate for a second to visit the surgeon’s knife or try the latest laser for that collagen boost, or even continue with the 30 pills I take every morning to improve my quality of life, or the monthly visits to the beauty salon to cover my beautiful gray hair. It’s not about these trivialities,” she writes.
“Everyone has the freedom to choose how to age.”
The star concludes her letter by asking people to let women be women: “It is time to embrace expression through fashion without expecting that we all have to look or act according to our age. This letter started because fashion is freedom without discrimination, fashion is an expression and an extension of our being, fashion is identity, and no one should dictate what we should or should not wear at a certain age. Fashion reinvents and rises from the ashes constantly, just like us. It, too, is part of the age of fire. Fashion doesn’t follow dogmas or rules; it simply exists. Can we let women just be?”
