Why do we try to stay "looking young" for as long as possible? Why are we so concerned with the signs of aging: getting grey hair, wrinkles, loose skin, etc?
Our society has equated youthfulness with beauty and sexiness. As women (and even men), we try to uphold that image of youthfulness and sexiness. For some reason, we have decided that soft, sagging breasts are imperfect distorting our image. Gray hair and wrinkles are reminders that we are aging... that the inevitable is coming. We think firm curvy bodies are the ideal which we must all strive for. If only we were cookie cutter people. (Though I think that the ideal image is broadening to incorporate some imperfections.)
Maybe we do not respect the elderly in our society... Maybe we have gone as far to say that the elderly are useless to the rest of society, that they are a burden. With a negative outlook such as this, it would make it an easy jump that aging is something we do not want to happen to us. So, any sign of aging would be undesirable. Something that is undesirable is imperfect, so we must try to hinder it...
I am not sure if it just a plain desire to be sexually attractive, or if the desire to look young goes much deeper into how we think about the entire aging process and its implications. But, the shunning of aging is doing a disservice to us as a society. Elderly people have led productive lives, have seen many things, gained wisdom that can be passed on to younger generations; they can be mentors. Sadly, elderly people are all too often stripped of their dignity and labeled a burden.
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I think that the reason why people try to look young is to draw attention to them. People must realize that looking too young can be a hindrance to a person. They are not taken serious or thought of as trust-worthy. I think American’s don’t respect the elderly. People that yell, hit and make in fun of an elderly person is showing what type of environment, they have grown-up in. Most people don’t want to get old but, people want to retire, relax and take vacations. All of this is equated with most elderly people. I agree that society views the elderly as a burden to society. Because of societal views, I chose to go to college and get a good job. I hope that when I am an elderly person; I will not be viewed as a burden to society.
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