Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs As Mia Nadjpal approached her 40th birthday—the new ‘scary age’ in internet discourse—she was filled with dread.Canada-born, Australia-based Nadjpal had spent months internalizing the idea that turning 40 as a woman meant she had reached some kind of invisible expiration date. But when the day finally arrived, something unexpected happened—absolutely nothing.
From left: Mia Nadjpal addresses her followers on TikTok; and smiles for a selfie.
From left: Mia Nadjpal addresses her followers on TikTok; and smiles for a selfie.
@miaonthe.gc
Nadjpal, who is known on TikTok as @miaonthe.gc, shared her thoughts on the mystique around turning 40 to the platform, sparking widespread discussion among viewers online who feel similarly worried about growing older.”I woke up, and I was still me,” Nadjpal told Newsweek. “I felt the same, nothing changed from one day to the next, other than my age, and I realized I had wasted months of my life dreading what should have been a milestone celebration.”Instead of planning a celebration for my birthday, it felt more like Doomsday,” Nadjpal said.Her realization became the subject of her viral TikTok video posted on December 26, 2024, under her handle @miaonthe.gc. In it, Nadjpal, speaking directly to the camera, shared her fears and the emotional turmoil she had experienced in the months leading up to her birthday.”I turned 40 and survived,” she told viewers. “I turned 40, and I spent pretty much the last few months of 2024 dreading my birthday because I bought into the whole concept that I am no longer worthy, or I have no value, or no man is ever going to want me because technically we are told that, once a woman is 40, you are expired.”Her words struck a chord. The video has since been viewed over 163,000 times, igniting widespread conversation in the comments about the negative narratives surrounding aging—especially for women.’It’s Honestly Exhausting Being a Woman’For Nadjpal, the anxieties about turning 40 were not just about getting older. They were about how society perceives aging women.”Yes, women have a biological clock when it comes to pregnancy,” she said. “But if you don’t want children or already have them, why does society still make women feel ashamed of aging?”It is 2025! Why are we still acting like a woman’s value is tied to how young she looks?” Nadjpal added.She noted the stark contrast in how aging is viewed differently for men and women.”Aging is seen as a flex for men, while for women, it is seen as a flaw,” she said. “We are constantly held to unrealistic standards: Don’t age. But don’t get Botox. But also don’t have wrinkles. But don’t try too hard.”It is honestly exhausting being a woman,” Nadjpal added.The Reality of Turning 40The personal milestone came at a particularly challenging time for Nadjpal. In early 2024, she found herself at a crossroads. She was burnt out from running a business she had spent nearly three years building. She sold the company, and around the same time, her relationship ended.”Then, as if that was not enough, I turned 40 as a single woman,” Nadjpal said. “All three of these huge life events hit me at once.”Instead of celebrating her birthday, she spent the final months of the year in a state of distress.”I spent the last three months of 2024 crying every single day,” Nadjpal said. “I am not even exaggerating.”But after her birthday passed without catastrophe, her perspective shifted.”I realized that I had completely bought into this idea that turning 40 as a woman means I was expired, worthless, done; that no man would ever want me; that I had officially reached The End,” Nadjpal said. “But why?”Her candid post was not just a personal reflection—it was an attempt to dismantle the toxic cultural messages women have absorbed for generations.”I posted my TikTok because I know I am not the only woman who has felt this way, and I wanted to reach anyone out there who needed to hear it, especially younger women who are being fed the same toxic narrative I once believed,” Nadjpal said.The response to her video has been overwhelmingly positive, with many women in the comments section feeling compelled to share similar experiences.”I am 32-years-old … But everyone keep pressuring me to get married and have babies,” one viewer said. “Been crying every single night, even though I have everything I could buy or want in life.””The trouble is that 40-year-old plus ladies (at the workplace at least) tell me they become completely invisible,” another added.A third posted: “My struggle is that I don’t know any successful, young-looking, childless, single 40-year-olds. I felt displaced when I turned 40 this year.””We need to shame men for aging the same way society does women,” one comment read.”I am 29 and I am stressing out,” another added.One viewer said: “I was told I was expired at 25 lol [laugh out loud].”Nadjpal spoke about the huge online response to her post, saying that it helped cement her belief that many women feel the same pressure around aging but do not talk about it publicly. For the creator, the conversation about aging needs to change.”I hope more women start speaking openly about aging so we can send a different message to the next generation,” she said. “Because this is 2025.”And 40 as a woman? We are just getting started,” Nadjpal added,
