There’s a stigma surrounding the golden years. As smile lines and crow’s feet deepen into (don’t say it) wrinkles, the urge to fill them with Botox deepens. This sets unrealistic expectations around aging, especially for women.
Botox Bonanza
In recent years, Botox users have been getting younger. Trends show that women are receiving anti-aging treatments as young as 20; this rise highlights a deep-seated cultural fear of aging. This fear is expedited by social media’s promotion of an unrealistic beauty standard.
Influencers and celebrities feed into the face tune phenomena so much that their filler use has its own name: pillow face. This term describes the bloated appearance that comes from receiving excessive amounts of filler.
Is the risk of aging so horrible that we must resort to cartoonish versions of our past selves?
Comparison Causes Frown Lines
This aesthetic epidemic could be why Gen-Z feels they are ‘aging like milk’. The internet allows for easy access to images of one’s younger self, which makes the appearance of new wrinkles and age spots more perceptible.
The observation of and desire to change these small changes illustrates a double standard in aging. Women are expected to have jobs, relationships and children by the time they reach 30.
Men, however, are allowed more of a grace period as they hold out hope for their silver fox stage. Women do not even have an equivalent term for life’s late-stage beauty; once their grays come in, they are simply Grandmas, their identity reduced to their successors.
Aging Gracefully
People (women especially) need role models for aging, that are realistic in their beauty, to enjoy the years that we all yearn for.
Iris Apfel was a fashion designer best known for her oversized glasses. Her frames magnified her small stature, which she shrunk into throughout her 102 years on Earth.
She made up for her size by wearing extravagant outfits that matched her personality. At 84, Apfel staged an exhibit of her eclectic accessories and flea-market finds; she captured the world’s eye in her later years as a self-proclaimed ‘geriatric starlet’.
The Golden Bachelorette is another great example of beauty in the golden years. In its second season, Joan Vassos attempts to find love among 24 bachelors. Her beauty is captivating, bolstered by the soft lines surrounding her eyes and smile.
Embracing Seniority
Society’s obsession with youth creates a cultural challenge in embracing the natural aging process. Despite cosmetic companies pushing procedures to a younger audience, social media showcasing unattainable expectations and society setting extreme standards for women’s beauty, there still does not exist a need to push off aging.
Instead, why not embrace it?
It’s a beautiful thing that the process of growing up shows on our faces. Our life experiences and accomplishments are portrayed in every gray hair and smile line. To erase the hereditary and innate characteristics that living burdens us with would be truly unwise.
Tweet us, @VALLEYmag, with your thoughts on embracing your age!
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