Many women fear growing older, and much of that is due to society's anger, but one TikToker has issued an urgent warning about the language many use to refer to adult women.
Brazilian-born Fabiana Mesquita Peterson, 52, is a fashion influencer and life coach in New York who regularly posts content on her TikTok aimed at older women @fabulousbyfabiana.
In a clamp posted to her channel, Fabiana revealed some of the more hostile messages she receives – and they're from both men and women.
She said: 'A lot of women tell me not to do certain things because I'm old. And today I got a message from a guy, in one of my roles, saying, “You're in love with an old witch.”
Women rushed to support the fashion influencer in the comments, with some sharing personal experiences with age-based sexism.
Fashion influencer Fabiana Mesquita Peterson revealed that she receives countless messages from men calling her an old hag
The New York native, who is also a life coach, received a lot of support in the comment, which praised her courage
Fabiana admitted, “I actually had to go to the dictionary to understand what witch meant, and it's just sad. So: “You're ready to be an old witch”.
“I thought, 'Oh my God, think of the grown, wonderful women around that man, how does he make them feel?' '.
Later in the video, Fabiana asked her female fans to help “create change” to ensure the misogyny ends.
She explained that the women who send her hateful messages are part of the problem, and are no different than the message the man sends.
Fabiana said: 'Age is just a number, growing old is a blessing and you only feel old if you want to, you can feel however you want [to].
'Your body will look older. That's why I think it's a waste of time to do a bunch of things to look younger, because you know what? Growing older never ends – embrace it, be yourself, be authentic, be real, enjoy, embrace being an old, wonderful, mature woman.
'Help me stop this stupid ageism from happening to every woman. Don't tell another woman she's old; I think saying that is condoning the attitude of men to put women down as they get older.”
One woman flocked to the comments to support Fabiana in her mission to combat age-based sexism.
Fabiana's fans did not disappoint, and she managed to gain support with her clip, which has already racked up over 5,000 views
One TikTok user said: 'Don't ever feel like this, you're amazing!!' while another explained that she was trying to convince her mother of Fabiana's aging philosophy.
'I'm trying to change that mentality with my mother, she is afraid of wrinkles and gray hair and hates growing old over time.'
Another adult influencer revealed, “I get insulted all the time here on TikTok: geriatric, need a walker or hearing aids, etc.”
And another story provided an explanation for the old age messages: “People who hate themselves are often the ones who point out the shortcomings of others. Stay your beautiful, wonderful self!'
Another story even went as far as saying, “That 'man' doesn't deserve the title, 'jerk' would be more appropriate, it just shows how ignorant he is.” You are beautiful and stylish'.