The War on Aging
We all want to look good as we age, and hopefully younger than our real age. We all know that good nutrition and regular exercise are required if we want to look and feel our best. But the war on aging does not end there. There are sorts of procedures and ideas which can help erase or slow the march of time. However, I think the struggle to look young can take the fun out of life.
It certainly does when you consider some of the things some women are doing in the hope of looking young. Some celebrities swear that a cleanse makes them feel younger while others are rumored to rely on the wacky. Case in point, some use bird poop facials! Not just any poop mind you, nightingale droppings. Poop, really? I prefer to look my age, thank you.
Of course, celebrities of all stripes have always been obsessed with looking young. In the old days, some actresses were known to use carefully concealed surgical tape for a homemade facelift. Today, of course, the anti-aging industry has become big business, and face lifts are often replaced with less invasive solutions such as laser treatments or fillers. And, of course, there are many so-called miracles cures and pills on the market which treat aging not as a natural process, but rather as an illness.
Today’s boomers want to grow older in a more elegant fashion than their parents did which no doubt accounts for hair color being such big business today. Men with gray hair are perceived as looking distinguished, while women rush to hide gray as soon as it makes it appearance because they feel that men judge them for getting older. Yet men see older women like Helen Mirren and Judi Dench as projecting confidence about their looks. Like most European women, the goal is to look well, rather than young, for one’s age, which means more time to relish and enjoy life.
We all know the celebs who have gone under the knife to fight aging. Of course, the professional makeup and the expensive clothes do help. But to me it’s those with a sense of humor about aging that win out. Joan Rivers was a favorite among comedians. She was not afraid to say it like it is. At one point, she told her audience that she was so nervous before an appearance that she had to change her diaper. She was not ashamed to say it like it is: older women often have bladder control problem.
Accepting that the war on aging is full of subtle battles we can’t win will prevent what I consider “aging anxiety” from intruding into our lives and looks. A sure way to project style as we age.
