“Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Do I look as young as my daughter?”
Is this what many middle-aged women are saying to themselves when they look at the mirror? Most women love to look younger and don’t like to reveal their age. So all you need to do is tell a lady that she looks a decade younger than her age to see a 100-watt smile spread across her face.

Looking young is a major issue in Korea since 2006. As more women crave to have youthful looks, their fashion sense is getting younger. In department stores, where garments are displayed in order of age targets, many shops are targeting younger and younger women.

Women in their 40s and 50s like to sport the latest teeny-bopper fashion – low-rise jeans and leggings being the favorite with many. They keep fit so they can fit into those tiny clothes. Makeup is getting younger, too. Pink cheeks and natural looking makeup is now popular among women in their 40s and 50s.

Many women spend their time and money looking younger. Plastic surgeons in Apkujong-dong, Seoul, are always busy with women asking for Botox, face lifts and other cosmetic surgeries.

Plastic surgeons say that many people want to put fat on their forehead to look younger, inject fat under the eyes and ask for more other cosmetic surgery procedures that can make them look younger.

Many women join gyms, do yoga, aerobics and dance sports to look fit and be a part of the younger generation. You can even find middle-aged ladies hanging out at places meant for teenagers, such as restaurants, concerts and bars.

Says Pearl Chang, a 47-year-old housewife, “We all get old and we can’t stop time. But we can at least make it slow down.”