Aging is 85% genetic, and 15% state-of-mind… at least until biology takes over completely. I remember an interviewer asked an old guy (108, I believe) to what he thought allowed him his “extra” time. The answer was, “Ignore pain. That’s very important! That and I didn’t smoke, drink, or chase women… until I was 14!”

I’n one of the “other” votes and I’m looking at this strictly superficially. In our 20s we were all lovely, in our 30s, we started showing some age; in our 40s and 50s, men seemed to be able to look better while women showed more age, but in the 60s and 70s women start to look better than men again. Am I nuts or have others noticed this trend?

it all depends upon circumstances and attitude toward circumstances no matter who or what gender, race, la, la, la you are.

I guess it all depends on whether you mean physically or mentally. Given the obsession with age in this country, I’d say time is not kind to women. Older men look distinguished — women look old. However, I think that mentally, women improve at a far greater pace than men. Women learn to adapt to changes and to conquer setbacks. I’ve heard it said that after a mate dies — women reorganize; men remarry. That’s probably because so many men have never learned to take care of themselves.

As a person with a negative attitude and no money for fancy creams I am holding my own by making sure I am never skinny. Filling in my wrinks the old fashioned way. But I often see old BFs on the news (I no longer live in DC) and they look on the funky side. One day, my kid was passing by the set and said, “You dated some ugly dudes, Mom.” Humpf—so there!

It’s already been said on this post that if a woman takes good care of herself, she will look great as she ages. That also means getting a handle on stress. People who are stressed out look haggard. So if you look rough on the outside, it’s likely that the organs are effected. Those aging in my family are looking great, so I have an expectation to do just as well. But I have to do my part and not take my health for granted.

Emotionally, spiritually, and for just plain common sense, women have it hands down. I know so many older women who are widows and have no desire for another man. Their attitude is sort of “been there, done that, don’t want to do it again.” However, in our culture, men probably still have the upper hand. It’s just a fact that men are accepted and admired as they age more than women. Gray hair (wow, the guy still has hair), lines in his face (he looks rugged), overweight (kind of stocky build). And the women in their 50s, who are still looking good, are, for the most part, being bypassed by the 50 year old guy ‘cause he can still attract 35 or 40 year old. The funniest part of this, to me, though, is the fact that a lot of the time it’s the women who are hardest on themselves while men continue to see themselves as the high school football hero. How else to explain (which I have seen many times) some beer guzzling goof with the belly to prove it, sitting in his recliner talking about his wife’s fat a— while he somehow sees himself as god’s gift to women. Or the women I know whose failed marriages led them to therapy to try to figure out where they went wrong and learn and grow from the experience. Before they were done with therapy, the guys were remarried. No emotional growth necessary, please. Didn’t work, let’s move on. Maybe they’re reading that dopey book “The Secret.” You know, their big giant egos lets them believe they’re the greatest thing going, and that’s what they put out in the universe.

People with good insurance, healthy bank accounts, environments, good habits and attitudes fare better all around. However, my parents are in their 70s and both did all those right things and wound up in ICU for a month each a year apart because of hospital errors. They have impressed me with their intact humor. And how much they are loved has helped both. Yesterday I spoke with my Dad and relayed to him what my son said about his situation. That “It’s so unfair that a strong and gentle man like him had this happen.” My Dad answered, “That’s life, babe.” Then we were off and laughing. So, I’d say men and women who laugh and have people who care about them age better. This made me laugh after they quit the talk intro and get into the amusing song/dance. From Woody Allen’s fun, “Everyone Says I Love You.” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxd_TlVn0e8

I chose “other” because you can’t really compare. Often I think women age better psychologically and really come into their own as they get older, where men tend to allow their diminishing attributes to get them down. Women rely on friends more and enjoy their personal lives more and men often seem lost when they retire and don’t have their job to define them. Physically, men don’t have the ravage to their bodies that childbirth often leaves, and I know it’s often said they look better with age, but I think that’s more a perception problem. Women are expected by society to somehow NOT age physically, and women very often expect that of themselves, which I think, is unfortunate. An elderly woman who takes care of herself, is happy with her life and has allowed her appearance to evolve into an older version of herself and her laugh lines to remain intact is much more beautiful than any of the women celebrities I see with their botox and cosmetic surgery clinging to their youth but looking like a bad imitation of what they once looked like.