If you are a skincare fanatic like me or are frequently on social media, I am sure you have seen or heard taglines of “Look up to 10 years younger in just 4 weeks”, “Reduces the look of wrinkles and fine lines” and more. Though they are paraphrased versions of one another, they have the same underlying meaning – aging and wrinkles are unsightly and we should get rid of them as much as possible. Such a message has been instilled in our society that more women and even female teenagers (and to an extent the opposite sex) find themselves gravitating towards products that guarantee the prevention of pre-mature aging. In essence we are becoming increasingly obsessed with thwarting aging which is a part and parcel of life. In fact the anti-aging skincare industry is said to be worth an astounding $120 billion by 2030.
This obsession in maintaining our youthful looks is not just noted by the increasingly fast-paced growing anti-aging skincare industry. Even offhand comments such as “You look so much more youthful” reveals our underlying need to preserve our youth and avoid the inevitable. This hyperfixation on reducing our fine lines illustrates the foothold that the beauty industry has over us and toxicity that it is (this can be another separate article in itself). Moreover, Tiktokers have been using their online platforms to suggest and even popularize anti-aging products, which, as you can probably guess, are nothing more than mere gimmicks. They are products that are not scientifically backed up by research and yet most will buy the products in hopes that by some miracle the products will work. For example, TikTok user @lauren.erro tries out a bent straw that is supposed to prevent wrinkles. While she does not necessarily believe the claims, there will be plenty of people, who in some form of desperation, cave in to buy such products.
Instead of putting the idea of youth on a pedestal and viewing aging as an inherent negative quality, we should open our arms and embrace it. So how do we get rid of the negative connotations that come with aging? The answer is simple and yet can be hard to put into action. Instead of associating aging with wrinkles and by extension aesthetics, we should view it as a testament to the trials and tribulations we faced in life. We should view it as our resilience towards the challenges we have faced throughout our time on earth. In short, we should celebrate it! As the acronym Y.O.L.O denotes, you only live once, and worrying and fretting over an inevitable end is only a waste of precious time. Instead, we should channel our energy to pursuing our dreams, spending quality time with loved ones and most importantly embarking on journeys of self-discovery.
In fact we should view aging as a privilege that some have been denied the chance off. Whether it is due to terminal illness, a climate related event or even murder, many people have had their lives cut short and been robbed of their chance to live life to the fullest – be it achieving their dreams, growing old with their loved ones or even just basking in the warmth of the sun.
No one, not even you, is going to remember the wrinkles or fine lines when we are on our deathbeds. Instead we will (hopefully) be reminiscing over the memories we have made with others as well as our achievements, be it big or small, that we have strived hard to accomplish. Our appearance will be the last thing on our minds. Let us all embrace the concept of aging with open arms and our wrinkles as the paths we have taken to achieve a happy and fulfilling life!