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Culture

The Cult of Anti-Aging

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.

Beauty products are advertised to make you feel better about yourself: “If you buy our eyeliner, you’ll achieve the perfect cat-eye!” “If you use our push-up bra, the people will stare in awe!” If the beauty industry was really created to make you feel beautiful, it would be a failing market. You would buy a few products, and be satisfied with their result – satisfied with yourself. Instead, the beauty industry turns insecurities into profit, banking on their customers’ dissatisfaction with their appearance. 

However, a sense of urgency has gripped our culture in recent years surrounding one specific aspect of women’s beauty–aging. While it’s true that developments in dermatological sciences have proven the importance of applying sunscreen and moisturizing, what once was a market aimed at women in their early thirties and beyond has begun targeting younger women–even children. 

@garzacrew

You are never too young to start a healthy habit.

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If you scroll on social media, even for a few minutes, you’ll likely see a video about the preservation of your skin. Whether it’s a “morning shed” or an anti-aging-specific skincare routine, these videos have had a recent uptick in popularity. While many videos are posted by adult creators, children as young as six years old are falling victim to the ruse of spending money on products advertised to “keep you from getting older.”

This isn’t the fault of the individual’s fear of aging. As a culture, we must ask ourselves: why are women so afraid of growing old? Society perpetuates the notion that a woman’s value decreases with every year of age. While men become “rugged” or “handsome” with age, when women grow old, our culture tells us that they become “washed up” and “less worthy.” Considering this, it’s no wonder that women and girls are so fearful of truly one of the most human processes.

This unique phenomenon has created a cult of anti-aging, fueled by thousands of articles about how to keep yourself from getting smile lines or selling you a straw to prevent wrinkles. We see children using retinol products, even though they’re only recommended for people older than 20. Worst of all, skincare and beauty companies are capitalizing on this fear. This increase in anti-aging rhetoric might just be the greatest thing to ever happen to the skincare and beauty industry. 

Through advertisements, social media, and celebrity approvals, the skincare and beauty industries perpetuate the idea that appearance is vital for success, contentment and desirability. Through the usage of shame and fear marketing, the beauty industry advertises natural processes “flaws” to be fixed with products, capitalizing on women’s insecurities. Terms like “anti-aging” imply that natural signs of aging, or so-called “imperfections,” are undesirable, enabling a culture of fear around human processes. 

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Additionally, the beauty industry has adopted the vernacular of empowerment in recent years, framing the consumption of beauty products as an act of self-care. The commodification of self-care turns beauty products into yet another capitalist venture. The industry contextualizes its products as a faulty way to maintain control or confidence, equating beauty with autonomy and empowerment. 

In response to the uptick in anti-aging rhetoric, I raise the question: is aging not also empowering? The ability to age is one of life’s greatest privileges– a privilege not afforded to everybody. If anything, aging is a reminder of the delicacy of life.

Rather than submitting to the socially constructed fear of aging, I encourage women to regain their autonomy as we get older. In a radical act of defiance, I implore you to put the wrinkle straw and retinol cream down. After all, is it not empowering to take back what the beauty industry wants most from you? Your fear? Is it not empowering to let go of the faux control we love to think we have over change?

The truth is we can’t stop ourselves from aging. No matter how high the SPF of your sunscreen or how many units of Botox you’ve received, our bodies will change as we age. I’ve noticed the deepening lines around my eyes, or my bleach-blonde roots with a few scattered grays. I worry my “age” is beginning to show. But then, I look at my mother. I look at my mother’s mother. I am reminded that every “symptom” of aging gets me one step closer to becoming like the women I’ve looked up to my entire life. It is only then that I take a step back and consider the empowerment of letting my body do what it was designed to do: age. 

Hope Kerrigan

CU Boulder '27

Hope Kerrigan is a second-year contributing writer and member of the executive team for Her Campus’ CU Boulder chapter. She is pursuing bachelor's degrees in English Literary Analysis and sociology on the pre-law track. Hope is from Charlotte, North Carolina, where she spent her entire childhood with her parents, four siblings, two dogs, and two cats. She is absolutely thrilled to be a part of the Her Campus sisterhood. Hope’s love for writing was deeply encouraged by her father, Mike Kerrigan, an attorney and editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal. Her father is one of her best friends, and most certainly her biggest inspiration. He encouraged Hope that she too, could be a published writer. After completing her undergraduate degrees, Hope plans to go to law school. Her dream is to practice restorative justice law, helping those who have been historically and systemically marginalized, hoping to limit harm and create more effective solutions. Outside of classes and writing, Hope finds the most joy in reading books by Toni Morrison, playing her guitar, doing yoga, and rewatching Netflix’s “Arrested Development.” Hope is so very honored to work amongst this team of incredibly talented, capable women.