金融时报:“抗衰老”将成明日黄花

“抗衰老”将成明日黄花

曾经，“抗衰老”是护肤品中红极一时的概念，但它的好日子到头了。尽管英国中老年人的比例在上升，但抗衰老护肤品的销售却一降再降。现在，护肤品更提倡让皮肤呈现自然的光彩，而不是逆天而行，追求青春永驻。

测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：

patronize ['pætrənaɪz] 屈尊俯就地对待

dewy ['djuːi] 清爽的，清新的

stigmatise ['stɪɡmətaɪz] 污蔑，使蒙污名

pigmentation [ˌpɪɡmen'teɪʃn/] 染色，着色

inference ['ɪnfərəns] 推理,推论

expiry [ɪk'spaɪəri] 逾期

imagery ['ɪmɪdʒəri] 肖像, 影像

holistic [həʊ'lɪstɪk] 整体的, 全盘的

Why anti-ageing went out of fashion（759 words）

By Kathleen Baird-Murray

And so it's goodbye to the words “anti-ageing” and not a moment too soon. For years the term was an essential tagline on magazine cover-lines. But not any more. Numerous titles, from beauty bible Allure to Elle have declared a war on the words. Banning them from Allure's pages was, explains editor in chief Michelle Lee, the first step towards changing the conversation around how we look as we get older. As she explains: the term “anti-ageing” reinforces “the message that ageing is a condition we need to battle”.

In this new dawn of diversity, the words seem negative and old-fashioned. As if further proof were needed, not one but three Steven Klein portraits of Lauren Hutton graced Vogue Italia's “timeless” issue last month, each showing the 73-year-old actress looking sexy, dignified and happy. According to the magazine's editor, Emanuele Farneti, the timeless issue isn't about whether old age is having a fashion moment — it's about being inclusive: “It relates to gender, ethnicity and religion, and it is also true for age — no one feels excluded.”

The feminist author Naomi Wolf first called out anti-ageing advertisements as insult-ridden in The Beauty Myth, in 1991. But the recent focus on inclusivism has seen the language of the industry come into sharper focus. It's no longer acceptable to stereotype women according to ethnicity, gender or age. Older women won't buy products that make them feel they're being patronised, or no longer represent their sensibilities. And unlike their younger counterparts, they don't shout about it on social media — they speak with their wallets.

In three years' time, the over 50s will make up 50 per cent of the UK population and control almost 80 per cent of its wealth according to the Office for National Statistics. Yet sales in the highly competitive anti-ageing and facial skincare market have been dipping, according to Mintel, part of a trend that has seen a five-year decline in sales and a shrinking market share.

The anti-ageing phenomenon has become the industry's biggest paradox. In principle, we still want products that promise a dewy complexion, and youthful-looking skin but we don't want to be stigmatised. A recent survey by SWNS Digital of 1,800 women aged between 50 and 70, revealed they were willing to spend on average £1,783 a year on looking glamorous. But nowadays, when we hunt for a moisturiser, we are just as likely to buy something that will help with pigmentation, protect us from pollution, or deal with the effects of stress, as we are to buy a cream that promises, in rather banal terms, to make us look “10 years younger”. An older woman, who, let's face it, was probably already using anti-ageing creams in her twenties, is more informed about products and ingredients. She researches cosmetics online. Many will have considered “non-invasive cosmetic procedures” such as Botox or filler.

“The reason the term anti-ageing is starting to feel antiquated is that it refers to an unspoken inference that a woman's worth is in her looks, which ultimately have an expiry date. Not very modern,” says Alexia Inge, co-founder and co-chief executive of beauty etailer Cult Beauty. “The way to be modern and relevant is to completely overhaul the way one positions products, the stories we tell around a brand, and the imagery we use to illustrate everything”.

“You cannot fight ageing — but you can improve the side-effects of ageing and look your best at 40, 50, 60, 70,” agrees former L'Oréal and Lancôme president Sue Y Nabi who launched her skincare brand Orveda this year. “Labelling a product as ‘anti-ageing' is not only dated and sexist, it's unrealistic.” Nabi prefers to use words such as “glow”, “luminosity”, “light” and “healing” in her literature, holistic terms that reflect Orveda's philosophy of working “with the skin not against it.”

Besides, look at a group of women in any given social setting today, and it's increasingly hard to pinpoint their ages anyway. “Anti-ageing has become a meaningless umbrella term,” says Anna-Marie Solowij, co-founder of BeautyMart, who with co-founder Millie Kendall has just been hired by QVC to present a beauty-themed show for a more fashion-savvy audience. Solowij prefers to talk instead about psychographics (the classification of people by their attitudes and psychology) rather than demographics and thinks of ageing as “a state of mind, an attitude and style, rather than as a way of defining a woman”.

Of course, we'd be kidding ourselves if we thought that by eliminating a term we can protect ourselves from ageism.

But there's no doubt that language can help to shift attitudes. And as we all know, a youthful attitude can take years off your face……

请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：

1.Which of the following statements is true according to the article ?

A.The words “anti-ageing” has disappeared from beauty and fashion magazines.

B.The fashion industry is gradually losing costumers aged between 50 and 70.

C.Sales in the anti-ageing and facial skincare market have begun to decline.

D.In three years, women over 50s will make up 50 per cent of the UK population.

答案(1)

2.The feminist author Naomi Wolf believed that anti-ageing advertisements ____.

A.help promote invasive cosmetic procedures.

B.led to the decline in sales of facial skincare.

C.suggest that older women are less attractive.

D.are an endless insult to older women.

答案(2)

3.According to Alexia Inge, why does the term anti-ageing is becoming obsolete?

A.Because the idea that that a woman's worth lies in her looks has expired.

B.Because people over 50s now control almost 80 per cent of social wealth.

C.Because the anti-ageing skincare market has recently been on a decline.

D.Because women come to understand anti-ageing is sexist and unrealistic.

答案(3)

4.Anna-Marie Solowij believes people should be classified by their ____.

A.personal style and preference.

B.ethnicity and religion.

C.gender and age.

D.attitudes and psychology.

答案(4)

* * *

(1)答案：C.Sales in the anti-ageing and facial skincare market have begun to decline.

解释：曾经很受欢迎的抗衰老和护肤产品销售正在下降。

(2)答案：D.are an endless insult to older women.

解释：女权主义作家Naomi Wolf 1991年在其作品《美的神话》中成抗衰老广告是一种无休止的侮辱。

(3)答案：A.Because the idea that that a woman's worth lies in her looks has expired.

解释：“抗衰老的概念之所以会过时，是因为它代表着一种潜台词——女性的价值在于她的外表”。

(4)答案：D.attitudes and psychology.

解释：比起人口统计学，Anna-Marie Solowij更愿意谈及消费心理学，以态度和心理来将人们分类。