AI Summary
5 min read"I Want To Enter My Crone Era, But Society Won't Let Me"
Sandra Bullock is 62. Nicole Kidman is 59. On the press tour for Practical Magic 2, both look roughly 20 years younger—no visible wrinkles, no gray hair, fit and toned. And the internet has split into two camps: one asking for their beauty secrets, the other asking why women still have to perform youth at 60. One commenter captured the exhaustion perfectly: "I'm ready to enter my crone era. When am I allowed to enter my crone era?"
Liz Moody, host of this episode, turns to the original Practical Magic for contrast. In the 1998 film, the witchy aunts were played by Stockard Channing (then 54) and Dianne Wiest (then 50). They had green hair, visible wrinkles, flowing cardigans. They looked their age, and that was fine. Now, Kidman and Bullock are a decade older than those actresses were—and look a decade younger. Something fundamental has shifted.
The Rational Economics of Performing Beauty
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **The "Crone Era" Paradox** - Liz Moody introduces the podcast by using the *Practical Magic 2* press tour (featuring Sandra Bullock, 62, and Nicole Kidman, 59) as a jumping-off point to explore the tension between celebrating women who look young and the desire to be allowed to age naturally.
- 2 (03:02) **The Rational Benefits of Beauty** - Liz reviews the research showing that performing beauty has real, measurable advantages, making it a rational economic choice rather than mere vanity.
- 3 (05:16) **Grooming Beats Natural Beauty for Women** - Liz presents a key research finding: for men, natural beauty boosts income, but for women, grooming (time and money spent on hair, makeup, and looking put-together) is what translates into success.
- 4 (06:23) **The Hedonic Treadmill of Purchased Beauty** - Liz introduces the psychological concept of the hedonic treadmill as the "big exception" to beauty making you happier.
- 5 (08:50) **Ad Break (AG1, NOCD, Element, Wildgrain)** - A series of sponsor advertisements for AG1, NOCD (OCD therapy), Element electrolyte drink mix, and Wildgrain sourdough.
- 6 (13:11) **No One Is Innocent: The Algorithmic Trap** - Liz argues that we are all complicit in these standards, as "positive aging" social media accounts still feature people who look stunning for their age, reinforcing the idea that older people must look a certain way to be celebrated.
- 7 (13:45) **The Flip Side: The Wins Are Real** - Liz acknowledges the positive side of the conversation, including the success of a movie with female stars in their 50s and 60s, the availability of HRT, and the cultural permission to feel sexy and dress freely at any age.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock are 62 and 59 years old, yet look significantly younger. During their press tour for their new movie, some people are saying “this standard feels impossible, why can’t we just age!”.
In today’s episode, I talk about the crone era: a phase in a woman’s elder life where she stops seeking approval, embraces her hard-earned wisdom, and unapologetically prioritizes her own desires.
🎧 What you’ll learn:
• The real economic reasons performing beauty pays off, especially for women
• The one hidden cost extremely beautiful people pay, that most of us never see
• How society stripped value from being the "wise elder" (and what that has to do with Botox)
• A simple gut-check question to tell if your beauty routine is helping you live more, or less
• One phrase we all say to older women that's secretly doing more harm than good
Check out the previous episode of The Liz Moody Podcast discussed today:
“The Ugly Girl Era Has Begun (Thank God)”
Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now!
Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Subscribe to the substack by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome. Buy our cute sweatshirts, conversation cards, and more at https://shop.lizmoody.com/.
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Use our discount codes from our highly vetted and tested brand partners by visiting https://www.lizmoody.com/codes.
This episode is brought to you completely free thanks to the following podcast sponsors:
• AG1: visit DrinkAG1.com/LizMoody and, for a limited time, get 20% off on your first subscription order of AG1 Next Gen or AG1 Pro.
• NOCD: to learn more about OCD therapy with NOCD, go to NOCD.com and book a free call.
• LMNT: head to DrinkLMNT.com/Liz to get a FREE 8-count sample pack with any order
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