Does not having kids delay a woman's aging process?

[superfan]

I agree but for the most part, when you're older, being substantially overweight (not just 5-10 lb, which may fill out wrinkles like you said) really does make you look older. Skin changes when you're overweight. It's not toned at all. You can get folds too and the skin on your neck can change too.

 

It also depends on where you gain it. See, I gain weight like a man due to my hormone problem, so I have very small wrists and slender feet, and not much of a double chin despite being almost 300.

 

Most people though, have more weight on their face, making it look rounder, which may or may not age them. Depends on what they have.

 

This is 100% true. When I was between the ages of 18 and 24, I was about 80lbs overweight. I never had a problem getting into bars or clubs even when I was underage because the extra weight immediately aged me to the point where I was never ID'd. When I lost the weight at the age of 25, I started getting ID'd ALL the time whenever I went anywhere and people would ask me what grade I was in (assuming that I was still in high school). I am 31 now and TEACH in a high school and still get asked that question.

 

As for Britney, I think she looks her age. She is my age. She looks like a 31 year old woman who has had two children (and a bit of a rough patch in her 20s). The reason why everyone is criticizing her is because in Hollywood this is not acceptable. Women are pressured into looking camera perfect all the time and resorting to all kinds of procedures to get that look. The minute anyone decides to just look REAL, they get told they look "old". Honestly if she wasn't famous and she said she was 31, nobody would blink.

[SapphireNoir10]

My nan had 4 kids and is 70 but everyone thinks she is my mums sister.

 

My aunt on my dads side is in her late fifties and looks AMAZING and she had 2 kids...

 

The only think I believe is that it takes more of a toll on figure. My cousin is in her thirties and has no kids and still has a great slim figure and perky boobs.

 

And it depends what life you have...alcohol, drugs etc or stress. I think kids can cause a bit more stress so that might be a factor.

 

As with everything in life i believe it's an indiviudal thing

[dangletsbang]

lifestyle - smoking, alcohol, drug usage, lack of sleep, stress...and genetics play a huge factor in how you age. I'm 23 with a 3 year old and i'm constantly getting told I look 16-19 years old. My stomach is definitely not perfect but I was pushing 200 pounds at age 15, lost it all, got pregnant at 19 and then lost it all again after I had my son. Like others have said, having kids definitely can take a toll on your body...but everyone is different.

[Lonewing]

What about one's spouse??? If a couple marries and decides not to have kids, they still have companionship. That person they have chosen to spend their life with becomes the person they are left with when all else have moved on. Your family is whatever you make of it - having kids or not having kids does not mean a longer life. Studies like that cannot possibly prove that definitively - there are far too many factors at play.

 

Spouses generally die around the same age that you do. Kids generally live longer than you do. The whole point is you have a greater potential, even if it doesn't work out.

[annie24]

Lol, ok then lonewing - why aren't you married yet?

[happpybear]

it's partly genetics and also how well you take care of yourself. My mom had 3 kids, has had a great deal of stress in her life and she looks way older than 59. Her childless sister (my aunt) looks 10-15 years younger than 58. Even though she is childless, she has had her share of stress, living through the 70's, 80's 90's dealing with the "spinster" stigma heaped on her by society, and having to build a life by herself as a single woman in a world built for couples with kids, but she has aged much more gracefully than my mother, which I think is mainly due to her taking better care of herself physically.

 

Also face shape. woman with narrow faces or long faces without a strong jawline will end up with jowls, whereas woman with wider jawlines, or rounder faces don't seem to have this happen. I read a study that also said that middle-aged woman who are very skinny tend to have ore pronounced wrinkles/jowls because they don't have enough fat to plump up their skin.

[Lonewing]

Lol, ok then lonewing - why aren't you married yet?

 

I have learned well from my mother and my dead brother that it is far better to be alone than to be with the wrong person. In my mom's case, she finally got tired of living in a gutter because the men in her life were clowns, and my brother, well, his wife decided to cash in his life insurance.

 

Some day, but I'm not desperate.

[itsallgrand]

Pregnancy is hard on a woman's body. But if you take care of yourself, and live well, it is very possible to look fantastic and be 'young' body wise whether you have children or not.

 

There are different risks, physically, that you put your body under if you choose to carry a child. There are also risks though with not having children, biologically!

 

So either way you cut it - we are going to age. Number one most important thing is do things in a healthy way, and take care of yourself, try to keep stress down, try to live a good life. Some of it is out of our control anyways - genetics, unforeseen circumstances, etc.

 

So based on what I know (which granted, isn't much more than what I have gathered personally), I came to the conclusion that the answer is No. Not having children doesn't slow down the aging process. Having children can certainly accelerate the aging process for some women, though. As can many other choices in life, which are as important to how well a person ages (and I mean on all the levels, not only surface).

[Thorshammer]

My ex was a hottie, i met her while she was pregnant. We were friends, but we knew we were going to date after she gave birth. She gave birth, she was still stunning, we dated 8 months after her giving birth. She broke up with me, a year later she looked a lot older, she lost her stunning petite face, she lost a bit of her looks, she just looked very different.

[annie24]

what happened in that year?

[Thorshammer]

what happened in that year?

 

I dont know. Maybe her face got fuller? When she dated me she looked like a thin cheerleader but with a huge booty.. i was literally overwhelmed just by being next to her, then when i saw her a year later everything was fuller. She also looked older, she was only like 23. She joked while pregnant that her looks will fade when she gives birth, that a daughter will take away some of her mothers looks, but she had a son.

 

Or maybe karma got her! yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

[annie24]

yeah, gaining weight can make you look older, for sure.

[greywolf]

I agree but for the most part, when you're older, being substantially overweight (not just 5-10 lb, which may fill out wrinkles like you said) really does make you look older. Skin changes when you're overweight. It's not toned at all. You can get folds too and the skin on your neck can change too.

 

It also depends on where you gain it. See, I gain weight like a man due to my hormone problem, so I have very small wrists and slender feet, and not much of a double chin despite being almost 300.

 

Most people though, have more weight on their face, making it look rounder, which may or may not age them. Depends on what they have.

 

I think being slightly chubby can make one appear younger. It's mostly because the face loses fat as we age so having a little extra fat looks more youthful.

[The_Seeker]

No, it has NOTHING to do with genetics or having kids.

 

It has something to do with your nutrients you are getting from and whether or not you are taking care of your body. If you treat your body like a temple, then yeah it's going to look good and age well. If you treat your body like a waste basket, it's going to look like major trash and age faster.

 

I look like a high school freshman high school kid or even younger depends how I dress. While some high school kids and 8th graders look older than they actually are due to doing drugs, eating a bunch of junk, drinking alcohol, and not exercising. Most importantly, not eating the right nutrients.

[Lonewing]

It's just like hair, those of us who have a full head are no healthier than those who go bald, it's just heredity.

 

I have a friend who looks as young as I do, and he gets sloshed regularly, to my never. I know a girl who even say, she looks great now but in the next five years, her Italian curse will kick in and she will go from young 30 to old 40 in a year. I can see a little of what she means, though, her wrinkles are coming in strong...

 

There's a lot of other factors, but those are chief.

 

It's like an old centurian said when she was asked what her secret was to living to 100 years, and she merely replied "genetics and good luck."

 

Now imagine a world where genetics can be altered: we isolate these genes, repackage them into a viral-delivery RNA strain, and put them into the recipient's blood. Such technology could cure, well, an innumerable number of ailments, diseases, and common cosmetic "disorders," and even go so far as to make hair dye entirely unnecessary altogether. You want to be a platinum blond? One injection, you DNA is permanently altered to platinum blonde. After 6-12 months, the hair on your head would be half the old color and half the new color, as the old color is old dead growth that is unaffected by any such changes. And the curtains would match the drapes without any extra effort...

 

Skin color, eye color, you name it...and yes, longevity...

 

All sorts of wonderful stuff...