Beauty Journalist's Candid Confession: The Regrets of Promoting Anti-Ageing Myths
Eleanor Tucker, a former beauty journalist who worked extensively during the Noughties and 2010s, has opened up about the profound regrets she harbours from her career. In a reflective piece, Tucker admits to having perpetuated harmful narratives that framed ageing in women as a flaw requiring correction. Her candid account serves as a stark critique of the beauty media landscape of that era.
A Walk of Shame Through Past Articles
While revisiting her old work for research on her new novel, Turn Back Time, Tucker experienced a mix of nostalgia and remorse. She smiled at playful headlines like "How now brown brow" and reminisced about the affordability of beauty products in the Noughties. However, the tone shifted when she encountered a skincare feature that made her pause. "It started to feel like less of a trip down memory lane and more like a walk of shame," she confesses.
Tucker's career spanned her thirties and forties, during which she wrote for beauty websites, parenting magazines, and even founded one of the UK's pioneering beauty blogs. At the time, she believed she was offering helpful advice to women, particularly those with young children and limited time. Yet, she now recognises that her work contributed to a culture that routinely scrutinised women's bodies.
The Lies Told in Good Faith
Central to Tucker's regret is her use of the term "anti-ageing," which she now deems nonsensical. "How can you be against a natural process?" she questions. More critically, she acknowledges telling lies—albeit in good faith—by presenting visible ageing as a problem or fault. She implied that women needed to "prevent," "reverse the signs," or "minimise the appearance" of fine lines, crow's feet, and other natural changes.
"Telling women these things needed to be remedied just wasn't true," Tucker states. "Worse, it might have changed how they saw themselves—and I was part of that." She contextualises this within the beauty journalism model, which thrives on problem-solving articles like "how to" guides. Anti-ageing became embedded in this framework, with women often feeling compelled to join the "anti-ageing train" from around age 35.
The Illusion of Transformation and Consumer Pressure
Another regret Tucker highlights is promoting the idea that transformation was merely a shopping trip away. As a journalist, she received daily parcels of luxury creams, oils, and balms—products far beyond her maternity pay budget. She encouraged readers to invest in these items, fostering unrealistic expectations. When products failed to deliver promised results, the blame often shifted to the consumer rather than the product.
"Now I'm in my fifties," Tucker reflects, "and I've shifted to writing about broader topics." She still enjoys skincare routines, such as double cleansing and facial massage, but now views them as confidence-boosting rituals rather than solutions for ageing. "It's not about hope; it's about being the best versions of ourselves," she asserts.
An Apology and a New Perspective
Tucker expresses remorse for perpetuating myths that equate looking younger with self-care and looking older with neglect. She apologises for using phrases like "erase" or "turn back the clock," and for attaching hope to expensive products. She regrets suggesting that looking "rested" could be achieved quickly with a miracle product, ignoring factors like lighting, mood, hormones, genetics, and financial means.
If given another chance, Tucker would advocate for "straight-talking" in beauty journalism. "Ageing isn't a battle we need to win, it's the goal—and a lot better than the alternative," she concludes. "The objective isn't about looking twenty years younger. It's about being allowed to look middle-aged without feeling like you've failed."
Her novel, Turn Back Time, published by Canelo and priced at £9.99, is set for release on April 23rd, exploring themes of appearance-related pressure in the beauty industry.
