Last month while I was getting my hair cut, the stylist pushed my hair off my brow and exclaimed: “What’s this ma’am? You have wrinkles!” But just as quickly he assured me that I had a beautiful face, but doing something about the wrinkles would make me look even better. I wanted to tell him that beauty and wrinkles weren’t mutually exclusive, and also add, like someone who came before me has already said, that I had earned them the hard way.
Whose afraid of a few wrinkles? Not me. Why would I be ashamed of them? I have never really imagined going to my grave with a flawless skin. Hmm… Perhaps there might be a future where humans do age (and die) without wrinkles ever making an appearance on their smooth skins, but right now that’s not the way it is and I am perfectly okay with it. So the man’s ploy to interest me in wrinkle-smoothening products fell flat on its face.
Wrinkles on my face aren’t exactly new. I have been sporting them since a few years now. Just like the white hair that’s increasing in numbers and which, well-meaning (not) people want me to dye black. I am sick and tired of people telling me that black hair would make me look younger. You know what’s wrong with that line of thinking? It does not reflect my line of thinking. Have they checked with me IF I WANTED TO LOOK YOUNG? Nope. I like the way I look. And yet they have decided looking young is what I want.
I think people should be allowed to look the way they want to. You want to look young? Good. Go ahead try the wrinkle-smooth ending creams and lotions. Good luck to you. Do you want to cover up your white hair? Go ahead. Make it black, blue, purple or pink. But people MUST learn to leave others alone.
Talking of grey hair, when we friends met at our school reunion, one of them remarked that out of the six of us, two (a friend and I) were the ones determined not make the hair dye companies any richer than they already are. That’s when I noticed only the two of us had salt and pepper heads. The rest of them all had coal black hair. We had a good laugh over it. Not consciously though, but yes, I am not contributing anything to the dye companies, or to the ones trying to iron out my wrinkles! 😉
Shail Mohan 2023
Shail's Nest 
I have no problem with greying because one has to have hair for it to grey, sister.
As for wrinkles, I am developing a few crow feet near my eyes, and I love them. They give me a constantly amused look, and I like it.
I rather like the silvery white creeping into my hair.
I think having a smart personality is more important than the color of hair .Grey is fine .
I have never given much room for vanity and so my wrinkles and grey hairs are, in themselves, absolutely fine. I just don’t want to look at them. They remind me too much of my impending (albeit slowly) mortality!