![]() She became fascinated with how the skin functions and wondered why people aged so differently, with one person’s skin looking great and another of the same age showing a lot of damage. Her grandmother and great aunt both worked for Revlon in the 1960s, bringing samples to Cynthia’s mom and planting the seeds in young Cynthia about how to take care of her own skin. For Cynthia, skin care just happened to be the thing she kept coming back to even as she explored work in other industries. Cynthia said she would quote Nike as advice to other women: “Just do it!” Moving into our later years means it’s now or never. But Cynthia knew I wasn’t talking to her for her business’s products in particular we were having an honest conversation about what it’s like for an older woman to redefine herself and honor who she is. I know there are other companies out there who aim for women like me – Cindy Joseph’s Boom cosmetics come to mind, as well as the Dove campaigns – but I do sometimes get the feeling that pro-age is just another marketing tactic to go after the age segment who actually has money to spend. I’ve always had trouble with the idea that older equals undesirable and unsexy. We’re encouraged to think that this is what makes us desirable. There is a long history of cosmetics and moisturizers and other products being marketed to women to make them stop the clock, feel like they did in their twenties. For her business, there was never an advertisement to clients to look younger the focus was always to look healthy. Everyone has something to offer.” She spoke of how, in the cosmetics and skin care industry, the catchy slogan was “anti-aging” for a long time that it’s now coming around to “pro-aging” is a healthier way to go. I want to stay, the best way I know how, healthy and full of vitality…Pro-aging would mean you’re not here for yourself. When I asked Cynthia what she thought pro-age means, she said, “We are all going to grow older. That’s why I invited her to chat a little about what it means to be pro-age and support other older women.Ĭynthia Kretschmar, owner of Face2Face Skincare Naturals,Ī Minnesota-based business she started after she turned 50. The idea that she accomplished so much after the age of 50 was one I found intriguing. Later, when she retired from working in-person with clients seeking skin care, she took her business online to make sure those same clients had access to the natural skin care products she used during their appointments. Cynthia declared at the age of 16 that she wanted to have her own business it wasn’t until she was past 50 that she went back to school to finish her business degree, got licensed as an esthetician, and started Face2Face. Cynthia Kretschmar is the owner of Face2Face Skincare Naturals, a skin care business based in Minnesota. I recently had lunch with a new friend who embodies just what I’m talking about here. What others think of us is not as important as what we think of our own choices. Sometimes we discover we have no more fear because we can’t be fired and we no longer answer to many people besides ourselves. In our later years, we can still redefine everything about our lives if we so choose. And sometimes we find it difficult to transition into retirement or a new phase of an old career that has shaped who we are.īut nothing is so constant as change. Sometimes we can’t let go of our kids as they move into careers and families of their own, unclear about how our identities as parents are now defined. ![]() Sometimes we are fearful of trying new things. We’re perceived as stuck in old ways, unable to learn a new way. Those of us in this phase of life sometimes find ourselves discounted because we’re older. Growing older is a privilege, an opportunity to use experience and knowledge to create a happier life and give back. And, at a more basic level, I am lucky to still be on this earth at the age of 63. I often think how lucky I am: lucky to have a clean and safe house, enough food, plenty of clothing, enough disposable income to help my kids and still go out to dinner.
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