Just over a year after Allure launched its anti anti-aging campaign — that we’re featuring a groundbreaking study by AARP to discover what 2,000 women, from 21 to 72, really feel about their age.

No question was off limits. Women were asked about their skin-care routines, their body image, their biggest fears about growing older. What became immediately clear is that the average woman’s attitudes about her “number” are far more nuanced than what any expert would have you believe.