"I watched my mom change her face completely with plastic surgery. I miss her face, and I miss looking like her. I want my child to be able to recognize me."

Author's note: I wanna be upfront that this article is focused on women, and I myself am not a woman. I'm a gay man, and thus cannot fully understand the female experience, but there is plenty of overlap in gay culture when it comes to impossible beauty standards, the pressure to embody cultural ideals, and the pervasive presence of cosmetic surgeries within our communities. Love you ladies! 💖

"My mom cried when she got her first gray hair because HER mom never got to that age."

"Growing older is a privilege. And honestly, the long-term effects still kind of freak me out. Also, everything goes in and out of style. I’m sure 'smile lines' will come back in eventually, and people will be using makeup to add lines to their face! Kind of kidding, but I wouldn’t be shocked! Lol."

"Her hair was solid white. I’m told she had a solid white streak when she and my granddaddy met, and that it was all solid white by the time she was in her 40s. She was hunched over from osteoporosis, I never knew her without wrinkles, and she was chubby. But she was so pretty. She probably loved me more than anyone else in the world. She is who I think of when I think of aging. She is who I can’t wait to be more like, and getting old is part of that for me. I honor her in accepting my forming grays and wrinkles."

"'It's preventative.' If that was the case, why would you need to keep getting it done for the rest of your life? Some of my friends have been getting Botox since their 20s. A girl in my office gets Botox and fillers done. I genuinely thought she was older than me (33) and was shocked when I found out she was only 28."

"I want to spend my money on delicious food, nice clothes, travel, etc. I just spent like $100 at Sephora, most of it being on sparkly eyeshadow I don't really need, but it looks fun."

Note: Responses have been edited for length/clarity.