It’s 2014 and I’m in an aesthetician's office talking through her new skincare range. “Frown”, she tells me. I do so and she grimaces before saying, “There’s not a cream in the world that can help you”. 10 minutes later, she’s injecting Botox into my forehead. I’m 24 years old.
It was only 11 years ago, but it feels like a completely different time. The magazine I worked on still ran an annual Ageless issue—an entire edition dedicated to the pursuit of looking and feeling younger. Anti-ageing was everywhere. Tweakments were becoming mainstream, filters were smoothing out every wrinkle on Instagram, and comparison culture was quietly taking root.
