Carolyn Murphy Isn't An "Ageless" Beauty, She Is Just A Beauty

Carolyn Murphy is the face of Oscar de la Renta's new campaign. She looks incredible and many are praising her 'ageless' beauty. But Carolyn Murphy isn't ageless -- she's 40. Her shots for the campaign are stunning and she sports a very 'natural' look. But we really need to stop equating beauty with youthfulness. Sure, she looks youthful but that isn't what makes her beautiful. I understand that there are a large number of built in, biological, factors that make us drawn to youth. I really do understand that but what I don't understand is why we have decided that anyone who isn't 20 can't just be beautiful. We always have to qualify beauty when we see it in older women. Ridiculous. Carolyn Murphy isn't beautiful for 40. She isn't an ageless beauty. She isn't a flawless beauty. She's just a beauty. Beauty is beauty. Our attempts to celebrate women 'of a certain age' have just ended up being insulting. Our qualifiers on beauty create standards that are impossible to maintain without an obsessive (and sometimes surgical) attention to detail. Can't we just let beauty exist without finding a way to cut it down?