hananoiroha

「花の色は うつりにけりな いたづらに わが身世にふる ながめせしまに」 平安時代に絶世の美女と言われた小野小町が晩年容姿の衰えを長雨の後に散った花に例えた。キャリアを築いてもなお、 なぜ老いていくことを受け入れ難く感じるのか。未だに男性が主体の社会で女性の外観に対する偏見に違和感を覚える。

“Hanano iroha utsurinikerina itadurani wagami yonifuru nagameseshimani”
The color of the flowers may fade, but I am still alive.
Ono no Komachi, who was said to be the most beautiful woman of her time during the Heian period (794-1185), compared the decline of her appearance in her later years to a flower that had fallen after a long rainfall. Why is it that even after building a career, we still find it difficult to accept aging? I feel uncomfortable with the prejudice against women’s appearance in a society that is still predominantly male-dominated.