By Clove Morgan
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Chances are you have seen these slogans while walking down the aisle of your local drugstore or on your television screen between reruns of Grey’s Anatomy. Seemingly since the dawn of time, women have been fighting the natural human process of aging. Whether they are trying to avoid wrinkles, laugh lines, or dark circles, there is always something right around the corner to be wary of in your reflection. But what is so bad about aging, anyway? Why have the marks life leaves behind become so hated? Let’s break down why signs of age are so often scorned by society.
Girls as young as thirteen are taking preventative measures to stop wrinkles from forming early. Skincare is a great investment; don’t misunderstand; everyone should take part in self-care and personal hygiene. The problem lies with the fear embedded in marketing campaigns that claim to fight the natural cycle of life. Teenagers shouldn’t be worrying about how they will look decades from now. The amount of pressure on women is building so much that it trickles down to ages that keep getting younger with every trend wave.
It is no secret that women are subjected to standards of beauty that are almost always unrealistic. Between runway models, makeup tips in magazines, and the next niche insecurity at the frontlines of media influx, it comes as no surprise that there is massive pressure on girls and women of all ages to be perfect. In the past, film, television, and paparazzi served as the spotlight on women in the industry, but the real microscope came from the critics who observed them. The fixation on women and their appearances began with the need to succeed–odd but true–as women often were made to feel as though they had to be beautiful in order to move up with their careers or marry into a well-off family.
Unfortunately, the truth of the beauty industry is an inherent need to profit off of the insecurities of women, insecurities that are thrust upon them as a means for survival. That isn’t to say that you can’t enjoy things like fashion or makeup (I am one of the girls that happen to love them; just take a look at my Pinterest board). It is just important to be aware of the line between passion and projection. Passion, in this case, means that you have a genuine interest in all things beauty-world without it turning obsessive. The projection here is that of the industry unto you, pushing expectations that you may feel that you need to meet in order to be considered attractive.
Age has always been a point of contention with women and men alike, but prevention efforts are primarily aimed at girls with the promise of maintaining their youthful beauty. In recent years, as social analysis has spiked through a feminist lens, a deeper understanding has been uncovered as to the motivation behind wanting to look younger. Youth is often associated with the “prime” of someone’s life. Someone’s peak is not only applicable to attraction but also to athleticism, social life, and even stress levels. People have grown to associate aging with the negativity that accompanies the responsibility of adulthood. As a result, people want to avoid it as much as possible to save face in a metaphorical and literal sense.
Now that some context is out of the way let’s dive into why anti-aging is especially harmful in the present. With the introduction of social media, everyone treats their profile like their very own magazine column. They offer their very best moments and even a glimpse of vulnerability. This article isn’t going to be a hate spiel about social media; I think that having a connection to so many people and using it in the right ways can be beneficial. It does, however, warrant a magnifying glass on one’s life. There is a limit to how much a person can share or see online, but that doesn’t rectify the harmful effects of prolonged feed exposure. You run the risk of over-investing in wanting to stay on top of the new and upcoming trend waves.
If you happen to share a similar algorithm to a large portion of your peers, you may have seen the new TikTok filter that shows you how you would look old. The effect applies wrinkles and fine lines to your face with some gray hairs along your hairline to really hammer the aged look. What is most upsetting is the common reaction among users. Most people are disappointed or even disgusted by the image produced by the filter, but why? As most filters today are, it is eerily realistic and frankly turns average young people into average old people.
So what is the big deal? Well, knowing the previously described context, most people–especially girls–have been taught to hold onto their youthful beauty for as long as they can. Social media and the industry has been promoting this ideal woman that barely exhibits the wear of years lived as she ages. Photoshop and filters smooth skin and markets products with the miracle elixir that offers the results editors create on their computers. As a consequence, women now believe that purchasing these items will make them look like the perfect woman on their phone screens or in waxy magazine advertisements.
There is no solve-all secret to protection against aging. When natural maturity occurs, everyone is going to age. Learning to care for your body and the ways that it functions is the true beauty that accompanies a life worth living. Movement, self-care, and your passions are what combine for a truly beautiful life–not the texture of your skin or the structure of your face. The focus shouldn’t be on the fight against aging; it should be on embracing the life you’re living as you live it, and that includes the changes to your appearance.
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