In a youth and beauty obsessed culture, it's easy to assume that we've internalized this, and see our "prime" for physical beauty being our late teens or 20s. Not so, according to a recent Gallup survey. American's aged 65 and up reported being the
most satisfied with their appearance, with men being the most confident about how they looked. For comparison, that was 65% of polled seniors saying they felt really good, daily, about their apperance compared to 61% of 18-34 year olds (ah, the bloom of youth), and 54% of those between 35-64. The survey showed a dip in satisfaction with personal appearance come middle age, and then a resurgence or making of peace by the time we become seniors. Some interesting nuances by gender and race; African American's and Hispanic's felt the most confident about their looks (68% and 67% respectively), and men gave higher satisfaction marks than women at nearly every age--with a smaller gap from women later in life. The cause for these satisfaction marks wasn't delved into, but it could be old fashioned acceptance and inner peace.
Time, Gallup, July 2014
