OPINION: The Golden Bachelor highlights a new class divide.

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As I watched last night's premiere of The Golden Bachelor — featuring 61-year-old Barry 'Bear' Myrden and a cast of alluring, capable and independent women, aged 51 to 66 — I was struck by two things.

One is that we need more women aged over 50 on our TV screens — their honesty and 'I don't care' attitude makes for great television viewing.

The second is the silent but fast emerging class divide that is playing out among middle-aged women between those who can afford cosmetic procedures and those who can't.

The Golden Bachelor contestants — glamorous, glowing, and seemingly ageless — represent a version of midlife that is not just unfamiliar to many of us but increasingly unattainable.

Watch: We asked the cast of The Golden Bachelor what their first impressions were of Bear. Post continues below.

Their appearance isn't just the result of good genes, great lighting, a knock-out dress and great hair and makeup, but for many of them, it's also the product of access, privilege, and investment.

Before I go any further, let me make it clear that as a 50-year-old professional woman, wife and mother of two children, I am all for people choosing to have cosmetic procedures, from Botox to brow lifts, if it is going to make them look, and ultimately, feel better.

My point is that, as aesthetic enhancements become more common, yet remain financially out of reach for many, the unspoken class divide between middle-aged (and often younger) women, who can afford cosmetic procedures and those who can't is growing at a rapid rate.

And it is not just the dating and online dating scene that has become a battleground for cosmetic privilege, it is playing out in our workplaces and in our social circles too.

And while there's nothing wrong with choosing cosmetic procedures, we need to acknowledge the systemic inequality they reflect, and the potential risks of that inequality.

Because when beauty and youth becomes a form of currency, those without it are increasingly left out of the race, out of the conversation, and out of opportunities, not just when it comes to dating but when it comes to careers and promotions, social media and society in general.

A recent study by researchers at the University of South Australia, published in February, found that female users of dating apps are far more likely to undergo cosmetic procedures than non-users.

In particular, it found that an emphasis on appearance, particularly with swipe-based dating apps, played a role in influencing 20 per cent of women to change their looks via dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections in particular.

But not every woman can afford such treatments and that's where the beauty divide comes into play. And I don't simply mean that some women are more likely to get swiped past because they don't look as youthful as the next (though that does happen), but more concerning is the increasing number of women who decide to bow out of dating altogether because they simply can't afford to keep up appearances.

Image: Nine Network.

Analysis by market research company IBIS World reveals Australians spent $1.5 billion on cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and non-surgical cosmetic procedures in 2024 — double the amount spent in 2011.

And while I don't have the statistics to prove it, I can bet this increased expenditure in cosmetic surgeries and procedures wasn't evenly spread across class, professions and demographics, but rather driven by a particular proportion of the population with the financial means to invest in their looks.

As one of the first generations to see women age in such large numbers in the workforce, there is no denying the beauty, or youth, divide is playing out before our eyes in workplaces and corporate offices across the country — though for a large part, it remains largely unacknowledged.

When Naomi Wolf's best-selling book The Beauty Myth was published in 1990, women made up less than 36 per cent of Australia's total labour force.

At the time, Wolf coined the term the 'Professional Beauty Qualification' or PBQ, to describe the idea that women's professional success, her opportunities for employment and promotion were judged by her appearance rather than her skills, and that they faced a qualification based on beauty standards that men didn't face.

Fast-forward to 2025, when at last count (in 2022) women make up 47.9 per cent of the total workforce, and access to cosmetic procedures has gone through the roof, then few could argue the unfair playing field that is playing out in our workforce between middle-aged women who can afford cosmetic 'tweakments,' as they are commonly referred, and those who can't.

In fact, a study published in the INFORMS journal, Information Systems Research, in January reveals a striking link between physical attractiveness and career success that compounds over time.

The study found that attractive individuals are 52.4 per cent more likely to hold prestigious job positions 15 years post-graduation, demonstrating that the impact of appearance extends far beyond the early career stages, and highlights that those who can afford to keep up appearances will be financially better off.

Industries that require frequent social interaction, such as management and consulting, showed the highest beauty premiums, the study revealed.

Most concerning for me is not just the financial divide that is therefore playing out, but the risk that women who can't afford the privilege of choosing to have cosmetic procedures may stop applying for new roles and promotions altogether.

In an era of the so-called Zoom boom, where we are often forced to sit and stare at our ageing faces for several hours a day on our computer screens, and compare them to those who have chosen to spend a large proportion of their weekly salary on preserving their youthful looks, the risk is real.

I am concerned because, as a 50-year-old woman, who has so far chosen not to undergo any cosmetic procedures, because I can't afford or justify the upkeep, I am witnessing women my age disappearing quietly and subtly, and most obviously, when I scroll through my social media feeds.

The women in my circle who still post selfies on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn are invariably the ones who can afford the Botox and the fillers, while the rest of us reluctantly pose in group photos behind sunglasses and underneath caps, hoping no one will notice our fine lines and jowls. Or more frighteningly, we simply post photos of our children and beautiful landscapes instead.

(A quick scroll through my Instagram page reveals the last time I posted a photo of myself was more than 3.5 years ago, and I was wearing a pair of oversized sunnies to disguise my crow's feet).

Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing 20 beautiful middle-aged women own the small screen last night, I'd just love to see a more diverse range of 50 and 60-plus women on our TV screens and a greater acknowledgement that not all of us can afford to look this way.

Feature image: Nine Network.