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. 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 due to the fact that 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 is 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. 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! Im terrified of getting wrinkles. Im 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 then 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!
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/PMC269
5163/
Jacobs, M. (January 4, 2017, updated 2021). The Gardens of Boca
Raton. 5 Reasons Why People are Living Longer Than their Parents."
Retrieved from https://www.thegardens.com/5-reasons-people-
living-longer-parents/
