BEAUTY AT EVERY AGE

By Ryhaan Shah

Junko Sakai was 66 years old when she entered the Miss Universe Japan competition last July. She found out that the age restriction of 18 to 28 for Miss Universe was lifted for last year’s pageant, and since she had already won the Mrs Universe Japan division for those 60 and older, she decided to try for a place in the Miss Universe pageant.
She has been married for 30 years and has four children and three grandchildren. Her family were all totally supportive of her entry into pageantry, first with the Mrs Japan contest and then the Miss Universe Japan competition.
She did not make it to the final round but did place as one of the 42 preliminary finalists, and the rigorous training required for competition has given her a message not only for older women but for the younger generation as well.
“In Japan, women are often seen as only having value when they’re young. And in today’s world, it’s hard for young people to have hope for the future. It’s too sad to think that once youth is gone, life is over,” she said.
She now teaches high-heel walking at events organised by municipalities and within companies. She tells her students, “It’s more beautiful to walk tall and look up than to hunch over worrying about others.”
Her students include university graduates wearing heels for the first time for job interviews and women who walk with canes due to disabilities.
Junko Sakai (pictured here) hopes that her lessons teach the spirit of “living joyfully and brightly”.
All over the world people are living longer. There are various factors involved, including better health care generally and more effective treatments for age-related conditions. Living well into our senior years opens up more opportunities for new experiences, and as Junko Sakai so bravely and proudly displays, there is no typical older person. She learned to walk in sky-high heels for her pageant and beat out dozens of younger contestants.
She tapped into the psychological aspect of maintaining not just good health but also taking care of her appearance. Being well-groomed is actually linked to better mental health, optimism, and good social engagement. It is seen as a way for us to feel cared for and cared about.
While the anti-ageing cosmetic industry is still huge, there is a notable shift towards “pro-ageing”, with more brands embracing the ageing process with their products rather than trying to counteract it.
How we feel about ourselves often starts with how we see ourselves and the image we project to the world. Wrinkles, grey hair, and the need for spectacles or a walking stick can make us feel less like the person we once were.
Taking time to care for our physical appearance and grooming can give us a positive boost and encourage us to stay socially active, which is good for our overall wellbeing. This sense of connection can improve our mood and our outlook on life, making our beauty routines – getting our hair trimmed, our nails manicured, or getting a facial – part of staying positive and engaged as we age.
Simply put, being well-groomed and keeping up our appearance can be the best confidence booster for anyone. This is not the case for women only; men should also keep themselves well-groomed and well-dressed since such routines of self-care are known to provide them with similar benefits.
While some societies value their elders and respect them as wise and experienced people who can still make important contributions to society, others view us as frail and dependent.
These are ageist attitudes that public health professionals, and society as a whole, need to change since they can lead to discrimination, affect the way policies are developed and lessen the opportunities for older people to experience healthy ageing.
It is important that society view the elderly not as burdensome but as people who have contributed to the nation in myriad ways and deserve the best care when they need it most.
Junko Sakai does not view ageing as a time to mourn lost youth but as an opportunity to embrace life’s journey with a positive spirit. As she says, life is not over once youth is gone, and all of life is to be lived “joyfully and brightly”.