Women are constantly being targeted by cosmetics companies trying to age-shame us into buying their products.
And one mum has finally had enough.
Annick Robinson was in Calgary airport last week when she was offered a free bar of soap by a store employee. In a Facebook post, the Canadian mum explained how the man in question tried to butter her up in order to sell her anti-aging products.
He began by politely guessing that she was over a decade younger than she was, but she wasn't buying his flattery and hit back with "I look my age and that's okay actually."
Unsure how to reply, the man acted like nothing had happened, and tried to show her some face serum, telling her that "if you aren't careful to maintain your skin now, these wrinkles on your face will get much deeper, by 45, creams wont help anymore."
By now irked by his spiel, Annick asked him "what's wrong with a woman looking 40?"
The man - somewhat unwisely, we think - began pointing out the aspects of her face that could be improved.
"Well, let's talk about the bags under your eyes, and the smile lines," he said. "My eye cream could improve those in 15 minutes."
Again, Annick questioned why he felt she needed a transformation.
"What's wrong with my eyes? I have a miracle baby at home and haven't slept in 2 years, so if I have bags I am grateful to have them, and my husband and I laugh a lot. Those are his fault. He loves how I look. I don't think I need your cream."
Nervously now, the man kept going (is he slow or what?!)
"They may be manageable now, but by 50, it's too late to correct sagging skin and deep wrinkles, unless you act now, only surgery can correct those."
Undeterred, Robinson continued to grill the employee on just what was wrong with a woman looking her age. He then proceeded to offer her a discounted price on anti-aging creams.
We don't know how Annick didn't just hold her head in her hands in despair.
But she proceeded, again, to grill him.
"What's wrong again with a woman aging? You know, my husband and I can't wait to grow old together, we talk about it all the time, how we'll be this funny wrinkled old couple. My husband is going to age too, we all are. It's kind of how life works."
Glancing around now at the other customers listening in, the man - still not getting it - tried to point out the best bargains he had on offer.
"Wait, if it's the price that's an issue, I can offer you our special this week, all three creams for $100 - that's cheaper than Botox!"
Oh God.
When Annick realised the guy just wasn't going to get it, she went in for some truth bombs.
"I look fine now, and when I'm 45, I will look fine, and when I'm 50, I will look fine, because there is nothing wrong with a woman aging," she wrote.
"Old age is a privilege denied to many, and I don't appreciate you marketing youth instead of your products, and denigrating aging women as a sales tactic. Thank you, but I don't want or need your cream."
Annick’s post has since been liked over 5,000 times and shared over 22,000 times. In an update, she wrote that she was overwhelmed by the response and called on women to help “end predatory marketing practices that sell self-loathing to women”.
Women have more important things to do in 2016 than spend a single other minute worried about our wrinkles or the acceptability of our thighs.
You can read the full post below.
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