One woman’s emancipation
Set in the beauty industry, this drama comes with many important messages
BRITISH actress Polly Walker steps into a brand new role in the six-part drama, Age Before Beauty.
Written by Debbie Horsfield, the series is an exploration of youth, age, instant gratification and long-term relationships, all set within the beauty industry.
Walker plays the character Bel, a middleaged wife and mother of twins who has to re-evaluate her life after her kids leave for university and her husband starts having an affair.
“Bel is the heart of the piece. She is strong, but she is also vulnerable. Bel represents lots of women who have given up careers to look after children or families, and due to circumstances, is forced to re-evaluate everything, including herself. It feels very apt for me, at my age, to be playing this part,” said Walker, who also acted in the British drama, Mr Selfridge.
Bel’s story begins after taking the twins to university.
“Initially, she feels a little lost, but she is soon roped into helping out at her family beauty salon temporarily. All is fine until something happens that completely rocks Bel’s world.
“The man she has loved and sacrificed things for has betrayed her. She trusted him with her life, but she doesn’t recognise him anymore. So she rethinks everything.
“Having ignored herself for 20 years, Bel is forced to take a long, hard look in the mirror and think, who am I? She has lost her barometer.
“She doesn’t know where to place herself in the world, which is really common for some women,” she said.
In the series, Bel’s tumultuous journey leaves viewers with many lessons.
“This drama offers a lot and with it comes many important messages. It’s about not throwing away relationships: just because they are familiar and comfortable is not to say they are without value. It is about love and loving people and treating those people well.
“It also carries the vital message that the outside doesn’t really matter, it is what is going on inside someone that is important,” Walker said.
She said there is so much emphasis for young girls to look perfect and have the perfect life. However, it’s all a lie.
“People will enjoy getting to know this family and they will hopefully get swept away with Bel’s story and her dilemma. This is about Bel and her emancipation – she is free to discover who she is, for the very first time. It’s exciting,” Walker said.
Catch Age Before Beauty on Mondays at 8.30pm on itv Choice, Dstv Channel 123