When asked to describe gray hair in one word, Diana Nagy had the classic word to say.
“Old,” said the UF senior lecturer, who taught Aging and Interpersonal Communication in Fall.
Allure magazine conducted a 2,000-person survey with Penn Schoen Berland, an American-based research firm, this month to examine how women and men feel about beauty with age.
According to the study, a woman is most attractive at 29 to men and 31 to other women. However, both genders agreed females are most seductive at the age of 30.
Davona Williams, a 21-year-old public relations junior, said she hopes to be well established by the age of 31 because it is an appropriate age to be settled with a stable lifestyle.
“At the age of 31, I can see myself married with children and hopefully living somewhere beautiful,” Williams said.
In the findings, 84 percent of men and 91 percent of women said that women are under more pressure to appear younger than men.
“I think that we’re expected to look the part — we’re expected to be well-rounded,” Williams said. “But for guys, it doesn’t matter because it seems like they can do what they want.”
Nagy said we are part of a youth culture. If something does not look youthful in a person, it is not accepted, she said.
When it comes to relationships, 57 percent of the respondents said sex improves with age.
Nagy said, as people age, it is not so much about intercourse as it is about intimacy.
“Like close touch, holding hands or kissing, people do have relationships much later in life than in the past,” she said.
But with age, comes knowledge. When asked about what they fear more about aging: dying or looking old, most participants said neither.
As one gets older, the new life experiences lead to more understanding, Nagy said.
“Aging can be successful,” said Nagy. “Pretty much, it’s three things. It’s watching what you’re eating, doing moderate exercise then being intellectually stimulated.”
