As time goes on, the human life expectancy continues to rise thanks to advances in technology
and science. Extending life has been the common goal mankind has been striving to achieve for
ages. Paul Root Wolpe, director of Emory Center for Ethics told Time Magazine; “The quest to live
forever, or to live for great expanses of time, has always been part of the human spirit”
(Oaklander, para. 4, 2017). For years, the media has been obsessed with the ideas of a futuristic
world where a simple ‘pill’ can make us live forever. But why do they want to live forever? The
simple answer is fear. Humans are often afraid of the unknown, and death itself is one of life’s
biggest mysteries. What happens when you die? It is this fear of the unknown that drives humans
to work towards a longer living population. “In general, we do not like to think about, talk about,
or acknowledge death as an inevitable reality. While logically we understand that we will all die
someday, it is generally a topic that is uncomfortable, and swept under the rug” (Hess, para. 1,
2018). b Humans are working towards becoming a death-defying society, and with each
advancement towards a longer life expectancy, the closer we are to achieving this goal.
What people fail to realize is that humans are not meant to live forever. Our bodies age over time
and begin to lose vital functionality. With age, humans also become more susceptible to chronic
illness and injury. This explains why there is so much focus on staying young forever. The end of
life is often scary for many individuals, and it is natural for humans to avoid fear. Humans become
attached to the memories they have created when they were young, and wish they can continue
at that certain age. “Worldwide, 901 million people are over the age of 60 today. That number is
projected to reach 1.4 billion by 2030 and nearly 2.1 billion by 2050” (Barrat, para. 1, 2017).
Rather than invest its resources into the inevitable and preparing an easier life for a growing older
population, focus remains on maintaining youth.
When I read about aging in the US, I immediately start to think about life expectancy from many
years ago, and now. Being that I am in my late 30s, I often wonder how people only lived 30-40
years back in the 1500-1800s. b Obviously, a lot has changed since then, and the average life
expectancy today is upwards of 78 years. There were so many things that attributed to this. First,
we had new diseases, not enough medications, lack of doctors and education, infection control
was non-existent, and much more. These days people live longer, and it is mostly since we know
more. Science has emerged and has created new medications, new protocols, and new treatments
for diseases such as TB, cholera, and smallpox. (Basaraba, 2020)
So, why do we continue to focus on youth and beauty when the populations are steadily growing
older? The first reason, as mentioned above, is that people are living longer these days. It is said
that the US population of people ages 60+ will increase by 20% in the future, and that by 2025,
1/5th of the population will be 65 and older. This is because of technology, medications, healthier
choices, and new food trends. (Jacobs, 2021)
One of the biggest contributors to the focus on beauty and youth is due to mass media and
advertising. b b Film, Television, magazines, and so on have portrayed a certain look or attitude of
what a woman and men should look like, and people have been obsessing over it. This has caused
the increase in the focus on beauty. Eventually, the increased awareness of self-care has helped
people look better and feel better about themselves. The older we get, does not matter, if we can
focus on looking young and staying healthy. People have become more concerned about how they
look, and how they age, and this has increased cosmetic surgeries and demand for aesthetics.
People want to look young and beautiful like the models on magazines! (Honigman & Castle, 2006)
I am a perfect example! I’m terrified of getting wrinkles. I’m terrified of gaining weight, getting
gray hair, and so on. I mostly worry about it because I see the trend of other women my age
looking amazing, and at times, other women my age look a lot older than they should. I think
about my children and the thought of them seeing me get older. I look at my parents and feel
bad. I never liked getting old, and I feel that media, and trends of today have a lot to do with it!
In the United States, some sections of the society believe that they live in a death-avoiding
society. The high reliance and blind trust on the health system plays a cardinal role to shape their
views and perceptions about old age. For instance, they believe that innovation and technological
advancement in the health setting can increase their longevity. Instead of considering aging to be
a natural and normal process, some individuals refuse to accept it or talk about it. Instead, they
lay emphasis on superficial elements such as beauty and youth. Berger has argued that in the
current American society, youth is valued over old age even though a considerable number of
people in the nation are growing old with each passing day (Berger, 2017). b b
In the 21st century, ageism can be a form of prejudice that exists in the society which people are
not comfortable to acknowledge or even think about. The rapid evolution of technology has
played a cardinal role to give rise to a youth-obsessed culture in America where people lay
emphasis on young age and beauty. For instance, the rise in the number of cosmetic surgeries that
take place on a yearly basis in the nation gives a glimpse into the obsession of some people with
youth and beauty. The current attitude towards old age gives a glimpse into the superficial culture
(Forever young: America's obsession with never growing old. Common Lit, 2021). In the
technology-driven era, people have been using social media platforms such as Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter to showcase the glamorous and positive side of life instead of revealing the
monotonous elements of their life. It has shaped how they approach beauty and youth which
gives them an opportunity to display a bright and lively side instead of focusing on old age which
is going to be a harsh reality for them some day or the other (Forever young: America's obsession
with never growing old. Common Lit, 2021).
References
Berger, R. (2017). Aging in America: Ageism and general attitudes toward growing old and the
elderly. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 5(08), 183.
Forever young: America's obsession with never growing old. CommonLit. (2021). Retrieved January
25, 2022, from https://www.commonlit.org/en/texts/forever-young-america-s-obsession-with-
never-growing-old
Basaraba, S. (April 23, 2020). Very Well Health. "Life Span and Life Expectancy." Retrieved from
https://www.verywellhealth.com/longevity-throughout-history-2224054
Honigman, R.; Castle, D. (June 2006). US National Library of Medicine. "Aging and Cosmetic
Enhancement." https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2695163/
Jacobs, M. (January 4, 2017, updated 2021). b The Gardens of Boca Raton. b 5 Reasons Why People
are Living Longer Than their Parents." Retrieved from https://www.thegardens.com/5-reasons-
people-living-longer-parents/
Barratt, J. (2018, February 12). We are living longer than ever. but are we living better? We are
living longer than ever. But are we living better? Retrieved January 24, 2022, from
https://www.statnews.com/2017/02/14/living-longer-living-better-
aging/#:~:text=Longevity%20is%20one%20of%20the,nearly%202.1%20billion%20by%202050.
Hess, K. (2020, October 1). America's death-denying Culture - Brighton Hospice Minnesota.
Brighton Hospice Services. Retrieved January 24, 2022, from https://brightonhospice.com/death-
denying-culture/
Oaklander, M. (2017, February 16). Why do people want to live so long, anyway? Time. Retrieved
January 24, 2022, from https://time.com/4672969/why-do-people-want-to-live-so-long/
