People are looking like teenagers/in their 20's forever, it seems. Or...it's just the grand aspiration foisted on us by images we see in the media. So much time and attention and money is devoted to helping folks look younger.
It's getting to the point where I can't even look at a girl/woman and tell her age exactly anymore. She could be a young girl with sophisticated makeup/clothing on, or an older woman trying to appear more youthful by wearing something more playful/less makeup.
Guys are not exempt from this trend either. I see so many "youngish" looking types trotting around with their ipods in their ear, the newest phone, and a messenger bag on their way to what used to be a stuffy office job.
What with the rise of anti-aging aids, cosmetics, diets, exercise regimens, and the increasing pressure in society, it seems like everyone is remaining young forever.
Are we afraid of our own mortality? Is that why even a single wrinkle or an undereye bag makes people say, "wow...you look very tired."
Botox, Restylane, cosmetics. My friend calls anti-aging devices and products hope in jars, syringes, and needles. No one looks their age anymore. In fact, the bar has been lifted to the point where no one wants to...it's BAD to look your age!
What do you think? Are beauty and youth, or at least the image of both, tantamount to success and survival in today's hypercompetitive world?
I'm beginning to think so.
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theorista posted on Jul 24, 2006
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Comments
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silverwhisper said on Jul 25, 2006....
i dunno, theorista: humanity's been chasing youth for most of our existence. the egyptians had cosmetics (rouge and some form of lipstick, IIRC) and researchers have found it in pyramids. ponce de leon searched through much of the southern US in his quest for the fountain of youth. i think it's just our instant-gratification culture and obsession w/ technology that are responsible for the phenomenon you mention. ed -
theorista said on Jul 25, 2006....
I think it's true that humanity's been pursuing the fountain of youth forever. It's just weird to have mortality staring you in the face. The rise of technology, really good cameras/lenses, picture-laden sites have made us more self-conscious, to an unhealthy extreme, I think. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 25, 2006....
considering that all the people responsible for creating advertising grew up having TVs in their homes, i think that's a necessary byproduct, don't you? but think about this: what's the next generation going to be like, having grown up in an age where there's porn around every link? think we objectify women [i]now[/i]? ed -
narbeha1983 said on Jul 25, 2006....
Any society that doesn't place much importance on true beauty will be a society constantly looking for physical beauty. What I mean exactly is, there are scientists and philosophers and economists now thinking of amazing stuff. But are they feautred in prime time television? No. There is only Paris Hilton partying. If they showed what true beauty, what true accomplishment is, a lot of people would think, hm....I should pursue that, and wouldn't care what they looked like. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 25, 2006....
heh...i think the omnipresence of paris hilton's image everywhere in the US mass media is proof that as a rule, americans [i]aren't[/i] looking for physical beauty. :> sorry, don't mean to divert from a genuinely interesting and insightful point. ed -
theorista said on Jul 25, 2006....
silver: that is getting too scary to think about. I don't know how the objectification can get any worse. -
theorista said on Jul 25, 2006....
narbeha: I think there's a trend toward the lowest common denominator in general. It's easier to understand and apprecaite the shallower things in life, not that that's necessarily right or good. -
narbeha1983 said on Jul 25, 2006....
Oh of course, I think the TV networks slowly realized, screw putting up these difficult to follow shows that spurn human growth, quick entertainment for the quick cash all the way. This in turn pumped out stupid people who can only get entertained this way, and here is where we stand. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 26, 2006....
theorista: you're familiar, i trust, w/ [i]the handmaid's tale[/i]? :> ed -
theorista said on Jul 26, 2006....
Tell me about the handmaid's tale!!! -
theorista said on Jul 26, 2006....
narbeha--Arrested Development was such a good show, and of course it had to get canceled EVEN THOUGH it won the Emmy's, and was the smartest thing on tv seen in awhile. At least it's on DVD. -
silverwhisper said on Jul 26, 2006....
theorista: there isn't really much to tell, it's a dystopic cautionary tale by margaret atwood. if you're interested, it isn't even very ||{1}||. it was also made into a ||{1}|| back in 1990. ed -
9Terrier20 said on Jul 27, 2006....
I complete agree with the original post. I was at the beach yesterday and saw a middle-aged woman with a few young girls, at least one of whom was her daughter but I'm not sure about the others. I assumed she was middle aged based on the age of the girls but based on appearance alone her age was a completely mystery. She was wearing a very skimpy string bikini, which didn't bother me because it wasn't unsightly or anything. However, she seemed more concerned with working on her tan than spending time with her kid(s) or being a responsible adult in general. Her demeanor also indicated that she's one of those moms who try to be their kids' friends more so than their parent--another side effect of these women who refuse to act their age. The whole thing speaks to the problem of certain women's obsession with appearance, which they then pass on to their daughters.
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