In just about the entire former Eastern Bloc, many if not most women beyond a certain age (let's say 30) will give up caring about their appearance. Meaning primarily waistline, but hairdo and makeup, even if applied, won't be done with much care. (I don't know what underwear goes with this...) With increasing waistline can come increasing self-assertion. What's behind this? A common explanation is being over-worked and exhausted of child-rearing. My theory however is that it is all about men, and is a crude form of half-emancipation: women will give up caring about their appearance once they got completely disillusioned with their useless husbands and men in general, and will look for self-fulfillment in their jobs, in power over other people in their jobs (also as bureaucrats confronting customers), in their children (and in cooking and food).

_{*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.}