International Women's Week 2024: Celebrating Queenagers

In tune with International Women’s Week, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate our very own Mym and Noelle. If you've ever visited our Beauty Rooms or contacted us directly, you've likely spoken to these two incredible women.

In a world that often fixates on youth, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the beauty of those who’ve gracefully journeyed through various chapters of life. Our beautiful ‘Queenagers’.⁣

These are the women who wear their wisdom like a crown, their experiences shaping them into beings of immense strength, resilience, and grace.

Being a Queenager isn’t just about the number of years lived; it’s about the wisdom gained, the love shared, and the lives touched along the way. It’s about navigating life’s ebbs and flows with a dignified spirit, inspiring those around them with their unwavering resolve and compassion.

Mym and Noelle sat down with us to answer a few questions about lessons learned, perspectives gained, and why ageing is a privilege.

And as wisely quoted by Mym: "The king might rule the kingdom, but it is the queen that rules the board".

What clarity or perspective do you feel you’ve gained now that you are a little older and wiser?

Mym: Letting go of the things I can’t control. Living in the now as much as possible. Not worrying about what's ahead, what happened before, just what's right now. And wear the comfortable shoes.

Noelle: Well, I think its really important to not take things personally, to know when to say no, to define your boundaries.

What advice do you wish you could have told your younger former self if you had the opportunity to go back in time?

Mym: You’re not fat!

Noelle: I think I would say to myself don’t be a people pleaser, and it really really doesn’t matter what other people think of you. And this is a really really big, and really hard one to work on all the time.

What do you love about being a woman now in 2024 and in your current stage of life?

Mym: A very good perspective and bullshit monitor, and also JOMO, "joy of missing out"; stay home, read the book.

Noelle: Well, at my current stage of life I’m actually an empty nester, so my kids have left home, so I actually love just looking after myself and not anybody else. I’m financially independent, I get to make my own decisions, and I can just do whatever I want to do or want to pursue. And its exciting.

Any wisdom you wish to share with other women?

Mym: Yeah! Be a woman supporter. Build women up, don’t tear them down. And laugh! Laugh often. Be inclusive.

Noelle: I would say just be your authentic self, always. You’ll find your people, you’ll find your tribe, and I think its really important to support and lift up other women, always.

Do you feel well represented by the wider society? Why/why not, or what could be changed to make you feel more included?

Mym: its an interesting perspective as you hit this age group. There is more of an invisibility across our age group. However there is change and it is shifting, but it’s also awesome to be invisible too - who cares. You can let go of all the worries. And that’s freedom.

Noelle: I don’t really, but I do think that it is changing, society is changing, social media is changing, and we are showing more real women, older women, but I think we’re still just in a youth-obsessed society, and there’s not enough respect given to older women, its okay to age, and its really important to be okay with ageing, naturally.

How do you view success? And how has this changing from when you were in your 20s for example?

Mym: Well its more realistic, that’s for sure. And success is happiness in life and living and healthiness and joy.

Noelle: I think success is really personal. I think its your own success and not success that’s determined by society or culture. I mean, success can be anything, it can be walking on the beach with your dog, living in a beautiful part of the world, volunteering. It can be anything and I think we get caught up in what we think success is and means.

Whats most important to you at this stage of your life?

Mym: Health, healthy living. Feeling happy. Doing the things I love. Work life balance. Not necessarily in that order.

Noelle: My family, my friends. My health is huge, that’s really important at this age. And nature. Being in nature and preserving nature.

You can also watch the interview here.