4 min readNew DelhiMay 18, 2026 11:00 PM IST
Actor-entrepreneur Malaika Arora has spent decades in the public eye, navigating changing expectations around beauty, fitness, and ageing. Yet, as she recently pointed out, some pressures remain firmly in place, especially for women. In a conversation with Sonal Kalra on The Right Angle, she reflected on how questions around age and appearance continue to be disproportionately directed at women, even today.
Sharing her own experience, Malaika said, “Now that’s a double-edged sword. There are days when it does cross my mind, where I do wonder or question the obvious. And then there are days when I don’t. I just don’t care because I am doing what I love, I am enjoying it, and I feel like I am in my prime. I am hungry and wanting to do so much, so it doesn’t really affect me (sic).”
She also pointed to a noticeable double standard in how ageing is discussed. “I feel women are constantly asked this question. Very rarely is a man asked any of these things. A woman who is asked, “At your prime, you were like this, and now you are at this age, so how does it feel? Do you still feel beautiful? Do you still feel desirable?” I’ve never heard anybody ask a man this question. Women are always subjected to this test of looking a certain way,” she confessed.
At the same time, Malaika emphasised that self-worth should go beyond physical appearance. She said, “At the end of the day, it’s not just the physical appearance. Yes, that’s what the world sees, but I feel you have to balance it out with how you are feeling- mentally, emotionally. What is it that drives you? What is it that pushes you out of bed every single day and says, “Go out there and seize the day”? It’s not just every time I look in the mirror that I am thinking, “Oh, wow, I look good.” That’s not how I wake up. I just have to wake up every day and say, “Today is a new day, and I want to seize it and make the most of it, and I want to be able to create something and build some sort of a legacy that I, my child, and my family are proud of.”
But why are women more frequently subjected to scrutiny around ageing and appearance compared to men?
Psychologist Rasshi Gurnani tells indianexpress.com, “Women are more frequently scrutinised around ageing because of long-standing gender conditioning that links a woman’s value to youth, beauty, and desirability. This is reinforced through media narratives, social comparison, and what psychologists refer to as the objectification framework, where women are often viewed and gradually learn to view themselves through an external lens of evaluation.”
In contrast, she mentions that men are more commonly associated with competence, authority, and experience, qualities that tend to strengthen with age. “Over time, this imbalance can lead to chronic self-surveillance, where appearance becomes a constant mental preoccupation. Psychologically, this may manifest as anxiety, lowered self-esteem, and in some cases body dysmorphic tendencies.”
Practical ways to challenge internalised societal pressures about ageing
Challenging internalised societal pressures around ageing begins with awareness, as many of these beliefs operate unconsciously. Once identified, individuals can practise cognitive defusion, learning to observe these thoughts without fully identifying with them.
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According to Gurnani, reducing exposure to unrealistic beauty standards, particularly on social media, and consciously curating more balanced and diverse representations can help reshape perception through positive reinforcement. Shifting focus from appearance to functionality, appreciating what the body enables rather than how it looks, aligns with the concept of body neutrality, which is often more sustainable than striving for constant positivity.
“Additionally, being part of environments and communities that encourage acceptance over comparison creates a psychological buffer, gradually helping individuals develop a more balanced self-image where ageing is seen as growth and evolution rather than decline,” concludes the expert.
