When it is never too young to be too old in the digital age

Criticism of former child star Millie Bobby Brown highlights the pressures on even women in their 20s.

- Nadine Shanahan

Women have known for decades that ageing naturally is unacceptable. Older women are rarely seen on screen compared with younger women, or are praised for their age-defying looks. Now, as a reminder of the increasing impossibility of beauty standards, it's clear that appearing to age unnaturally, or "too soon", is also seen as a failure.

In early March, 21-year-old actress Millie Bobby Brown spoke out about "bullying" by journalists, after columns and social media comments accused her of looking too old for her age.

Having entered the spotlight as a child star, Brown no longer looks like her younger self, which appears to have caused backlash. The response to Brown having the audacity to grow and age out of her teens reveals how society requires women to not only be young, but to look it, forever.

I am researching how women perform femininity (and navigate ageing) on social media, and it's clear that the question of "how and when are women allowed to age" has become even more complex in the digital era.

Social media has become the gateway to the anti-ageing industry, with influencers acting as living billboards for cosmetic treatment. Many of the women I have spoken to have highlighted how popular procedures like Botox have become on apps like Instagram, particularly for younger women. Some of the women I spoke to were happy to discuss their "tweakments", admitting that they've had Botox and filler, while others expressed surprise at the early age people were seeking these treatments.

"I'm amazed at how young people are, and how they're getting Botox at 20. It's quite shocking," said one interviewee.