The US has an aging population like the rest of the world, and it is projected to rise. Between 2000
and 2050, the number of older people is projected to increase by 135% (Wiener a& Tilly, 2002
Even though American society is an aging society, the emphasis is more on the youth. There
seems to be a bias when it comes to the elderly population. Previously people who were old and
experienced were valued and hired for jobs but now more youths with less experience get hired
for the same job. People seem to worry about getting old or fear the inevitable; death and try to
delay the process, there is an obsession with beauty and people seek different means to stay
young and plastic surgeons are sought after by people and they are willing to spend money on
cosmetic procedures and other aesthetic procedures to look young. The obsession to stay young
could be the result of changes in the political, social, and economic environment and it has
changed people’s perceptions about aging (Berger, 2017).
People are influenced by media and celebrities and advertisements of anti-aging products also
influence people and how they are perceived by others. More and more people want to look
young and delay aging. The elderly need to be valued and considered an integral part of society
and the negative perceptions of the people need to change.
For millennia, humans have grappled with the concept of beauty, attempting to define it while
also being defined by it. The current marketing machinery would have us believe that beauty is
defined by physical characteristics. We know otherwise, thanks to the wisdom we have gained
through many years of traveling the world as conservation photographers. The concept of beauty
is a nebulous, multifaceted, and highly personal ideal that serves as a guiding light throughout
one's life.
We have a strong want for what we think is attractive, and this desire may quickly evolve into
desire, which then becomes the gasoline that propels us into action. Beauty can inspire aspiration
and enthusiasm, acting as a catalyst for us to attain our goals. We are tremendously lucky to live
in a time when so many examples of beauty are being praised and celebrated, and more inclusive
and diverse standards are being established, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, or creed
(National Geopgraphic,2001). It is a lovely thing to be free. I think it is the reason why we continue
to focus on youth and beauty when the population is steadily growing older. Beauty can inspire us
indefinitely. It is that enigmatic, unfathomable muse that motivates you to be better, accomplish
better, and push yourself beyond. And, by that sense, arguably the greatest pressing need in
today's world is simply greater beauty.
Plastic surgery, Botox, and Liposuction all these things are all used to enhance someone's beauty.
Since it is such a trend to be young and beautiful, the cosmetic industry is making big bucks to tell
people how they should look and what is considered beautiful. According to Tugba Sabanoglu, the
revenue of the U.S. cosmetic industry was estimated to amount to about 49.2 billion U.S. dollars in
2019(Sabanoglu,2022). These statistics are so high that they predict it will continue to rise for
years to come because the older generation is using these products to look younger due to them
living longer. Multiple cosmetic commercials promote older women using certain creams to
prevent wrinkles or blemishes that naturally come with old age. A. Guttmann states that the
cosmetics and toiletries segment is one of the top advertising categories worldwide, accounting
for close to six percent of the total global ad spend. It is expected that this category will grow by
around 10 percent in 2021 (Guttmann,2021). Overall, the world focuses on beauty and youth
because it sells to the public and what the older generation believes will keep them around a lot
longer.
Crimmins (2015) wrote that over the past century, advances in technology and improvements in
society’s ability to address infectious disease, decreased causes of mortality among young people,
and the reduction of heart disease had increased both lifespan and health span of our aging
population. Between 1900 and 2010, life expectancy in the U.S. went from 47.3 years to 78.7
years (Cummins, 2015). Cummings (2015) predicted that life expectancy would continue to
increase as society continues to reduce mortality from chronic disease. However, lifestyle diseases,
such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, may drastically slow or reverse this
trend in developed countries.
My grandfather died young from a heart attack. b He was a prisoner of war during World War II,
held as a civilian captive in the Philippines when the islands were occupied by the Japanese. b The
years of near-starvation and the stress of captivity took their toll on his body but he, like most in
his generation, expected to live life on a linear path because most people did not live beyond their
sixties. Now, though, people are living longer now and are taking advantage of increased longevity
to continue to explore opportunities to continue to earn and explore their world in their later
years. Advances in communication and other technology make it easier for older people to remain
safely in their homes versus moving to institutions. Most seniors wish to remain independent and
stay in their own homes as they age, also known as aging in place, so long as it is safe. The Rural
Health Information Hub (2019) wrote that aging in place promotes life satisfaction, a positive
quality of life, and self-esteem—all of which are needed to remain happy, healthy, and well into
old age. Additionally, keeping older adults in their homes, and engaged in their communities,
benefits the communities by facilitating the sharing of wisdom across generations, increasing
community involvement, building new and lasting friendships, and building stronger, healthier
communities.
The value of youth is placed on youth because we (as a country) let that be the norm. It is not the
norm in every country. How we treat our elderly is not the norm everywhere. Research done by
Stanford University shows that having aging humans in the lives of young humans helps both sides
of the spectrum (Parker, 2017). Children and teens are given the guidance they need to become
adults that have empathy, confidence, and abilities of their own. Aging humans can learn
technology and gain mental benefits from seeing young humans become excited about growing
(Parker, 2017). If this study shows that there are mutual benefits for each side, then maybe the
focus needs to be more on changing what the norm of interactions are in America. Instead of
shunning either side, both should be encouraged to embrace interactions and to open their minds
and hearts to the possibility that the other side could help them (Parker, 2017). This would help to
shift the focus and the norm of valuing youth and beauty over age.
b As the United States population is steadily growing older, we continue to focus on youth and
beauty. The blind faith on the health system plays a big role to shape their views and perceptions
about aging. For example, most Americans believe that innovation and technological advancement
in the healthcare setting can increase their longevity via a pill or surgery. With the increase of the
Baby Boomers generation reaching retirement, it is expected that there will be an increased
demand for health care services and health care workers as they may require life-saving surgeries,
medications, and hospice services. For others, instead of accepting that aging is a natural process,
some individuals focus on more superficial features such as beauty and youth. This could be
caused by social media platform such as Instagram, Facebook, and Tik-Tok highlighting individual’s
best features through a filter that makes them look perfect but is not realistic. The focus on youth
could also be in part how society views celebrities as fashion and beauty icons, which is also not
realistic as these celebrities have professional makeup artists and cosmetic surgeons to keep them
looking youthful. The combination of social media and celebrities has created body dysmorphia
issues and an ageing avoiding society. Cosmetic surgery and non-surgical operations to alter
physical appearance such as rhinoplasty, liposuction, breast argumentation, even Botox and lip
fillers has grown into a common solution for self-improvement. “Over the last decade, cosmetic
procedures have grown from 1.5 million in 1997, to over 5.5 million in 2020.” (ASPS). These
numbers show how even though the population is growing older, there is still a high importance
on beauty and youth. I believe these numbers to be true as I know a lot of people who have
gotten cosmetic surgery and talk about it so casual as if it is the normal thing to do. The U.S. has
had a large increase in technological advancement and innovation in healthcare from antibiotics to
laser eye surgeries and organ transplants, these types of medical advancements keep the older
population to feel younger and live longer. In the 1700s life expectancy was 30 years old and
according to the World Health Organization by 2040 life expectancy in the U.S. will be 100 years
old. I do not think the U.S. is afraid of aging or death but if we can live longer and feel better
about ourselves by using innovative technology, why not?
America is heading towards a state of zero population growth (ZPG) where the number of deaths
in the country is equal to the number of births. Currently, we are very close to this reality
according to the U.S.’s population pyramid, which has a faint hourglass shape (Population Pyramid,
2019). This aging population brings with it the concern over the stress it will place on the current
healthcare system. This known fact of our population containing a higher percentage of the elderly
each year as well as the strain on the system that comes with it is not a popular topic for
conversation or a focus of our society. Instead, most of the population focuses on youth and
beauty. Could this be from the increasing levels of gerontophobia? Could it be from the fear of
death? Is the mindset of the population focused less on the long-term and more on short-term
satisfaction? All these factors could be true.
Gerontophobia may be gaining steam and causing people to avoid aging at all costs (Psych Times
n.d.). This fear of aging can be seen with the increase in plastic surgery and the acceptance of
beauty enhancements such as face lifts, Botox, and facial reconstruction (Archer, 2013). Some
beauty tricks for anti-aging have even become trends online, causing the message of the
importance of preventing aging to spread to a wider audience. Even something as simple as using
sunscreen has become a huge push in skincare as people understand how it prevents wrinkles.
This is in large part due to the technological revolution as older generations cannot keep up with
new technology and trends can sweep across the nation, changing the mindset of large groups of
the population. Our shortening attention span cultivated by short blog posts and quick videos also
may be influencing the reservations of people to slow down and care for the elderly. Overall,
there are many factors that play into our focus on youth and beauty rather than the aging
population.
In my opinion, two of the major reasons that youth and beauty continue to be emphasized is due
in part to ageism and the glamorization of beauty in media/on social media. Between 2015 and
2030 it is estimated that the number of people over 60 years old is expected to increase from 900
million to almost 1.5 billion globally; by 2050 the population within this demographic is expected
to reach 2 billion people (Haseltine, 2018). As the population’s age increases, there continues to
be an emphasis on youth and beauty. If you were to turn on your tv and flip through a couple of
channels, you’d likely see someone who is conventionally attractive, physically fit or falls within
society’s “standards” of beauty. On social media, people generally post the “best” aspects of their
lives, however, in comparison this can have a significant impact on someone’s psychological well-
being. If someone does not fit into what they see in the media/online they may take measures
(i.e., using anti-aging products, increasing their workout regimen, increased make up use, plastic
surgery etc.) to alter their appearance to fit societal beauty norms. As a result of this, the number
of men and women who are seeking cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery to enhance or
reverse the impacts of aging are at an all-time high (Berger, 2017).
In addition to attempting to fit social norms of beauty, the population is also fixated on appearing
much younger than they are, which could be a direct result of ageism within the country (Berger,
2017). According to the World Health Organization, children as young as 4 years old are aware of
cultural stereotypes regarding age (World Health Organization, n.d). Ageism is a learned behaviour
through medial exposure and culture stereotypes; therefore, I was not too surprised when I read
that statistic (Berger, 2017). The media is heavily biased toward youth and beauty which can have
significant impacts on perceived biases and stereotypes.
Berger, R. (2017). Aging in America: Ageism and General Attitudes toward Growing Old and the
Elderly. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 05(08), 183–198. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2017.58015
Haseltine, W. A. (2018, April 2). Aging Populations Will Challenge Healthcare Systems All Over The
World. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2018/04/02/aging-
populations-will-challenge-healthcare-systems-all-over-the-world/?sh=42645f152cc3
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