THE FEAR OF AGING

One thing is for certain that everybody's aging, whether you're a newborn baby or a seventy year old woman. Aging is a part of life.  We age until finally we expire. So why is it so hard to accept the aging process?

For something so inevitable that everyone will undoubtably experience, aging has been given a bad rap.  Nobody wants to age, or (God Forbid) look like they're aging.  We do so many things to try to slow down the aging process form creams, serums, a nip here and a little tuck there. Everyone fears the day that wrinkles will set in. With all the anxiety surrounding the topic of aging, I wonder why the subject isn't more popular.

In 2020, I began to study social media and how beauty brands market across different platforms.  I soon discovered that there was an obsession or rather "fear" of aging.  Teens and young adults barely out of high school were discussing wrinkles.  These youthful fresh faced beauties were actively seeking solutions to issues that women forty and over commonly face, without having an actual line or wrinkle.  This was insane!  I read more.

I discovered that teenagers and twenty somethings were now using retinoids, Botox, and strong peels traditionally reserved for women in their forties or above.  What brought about this sudden obsession with aging?

The beauty industry has cleverly used social media to market and promote it's agenda. With the majority of social media users being teenagers and twenty somethings, it's no wonder why they are so insecure.

Once upon a time, anti-aging products were marketed to the demographic who actually needed them.  Now these products are being marketed to kids, because if you instill fear in them while they're young then they'll forever be on a quest to perfect themselves, and become customers for life. 

When everyone thinks of the beauty industry, they think about all the niceties.  Makeup, beautiful hair, great skin, and glamour.  But what they don't think about is what makes it a multi-billion dollar industry, and how the business keeps on churning.

One word...fear.  Fear equals sales.  The beauty industry is built on fear. The fear of aging; the fear of getting wrinkles.  It's a very cunning strategy.  And it works.  Unless we change the narrative, open our eyes, and start discussions on how to age positively then we'll only continue on a downward trajectory.  For those of us who are forty plus, we have enough wisdom and life experience not to get consumed by what's in the media.  But for those of an impressionable age, this can really damage the self esteem.

It's quite worrisome that young adults are unhappy with their appearance and deathly afraid of getting a wrinkle.  There shouldn't be so much pressure and anxiety surrounding the process of aging.  It's only by teaching them how to embrace and accept themselves, that they'll have a healthy relationship with aging.

As I gracefully glide through the aging process, I realize I'm definitely much better now than I was during my youth.  I've grown to appreciate the things that aging brings. I am just like a fine wine that gets better with age. 

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