Abandon the inherited fear of growing older
“And now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.” – John Steinbeck, “East of Eden.”
From the second you are born to the second you die, you are taught to fear aging. To fear the skin around your mouth wrinkling as you smile, to fear the pigment of your hair fading, to fear the notable signs of growing older, is to become so detrimentally and excruciatingly self-aware. People are trained to cower in fear and shame, but should learn to keep the apology out of their voice when saying their age.
Taking extreme preventive measures and desperate acts of salvation have become a custom to our world today. But why should one be ashamed of the smile lines they earned or the natural fading color of hair?
An obsession with curating one’s appearance and prolonging the illusion of looking younger deranges self-image. Society programs people to prevent the formation of wrinkles and suggests away from the natural graying of hair, to obtain a more “youthful” appearance. People should ignore the pressures from society and embrace the beauty that comes from naturally aging.
But, on the other hand, there is an extreme increase of skincare and makeup brands targeting younger demographics for children today. How beautiful children feel is determined by stylish clothes they wear and how they present themselves. The increase of attention to appearance, especially the preservation of youth, is an act of self-defense against the rotten torment of society.
A paradox is created from older people trying to prevent their aging and younger children attempting to mature too quickly. People should take care of themselves while respecting their bodies and allowing themselves to experience each stage of development naturally.
People should not be afraid to age, as it is a normal part of the process of life. Often, we tend to catalog our flaws, our imperfections and feel the need to correct these to make plans to change ourselves to seem more youthful. An unrealistic fascination with “youthful beauty” only harms self-image and creates detrimental social competition.
