Aging stigma makes maintaining youth a survival tactic

43-year-old personal trainer Ani Transka walks into the gym to meet her first client of the day. Her body feels as strong as it has always been, but Transka knows that her body is visibly older and more fragile than it was in her youth. Society tells Transka that in order to remain “valuable,” she must maintain a youthful appearance. Trying to maintain that value is a struggle that Transka is not alone in. 

Aging is a natural, on-going process that all individuals experience. It happens at different rates for everyone too. Wrinkling of skin, increased challenge in physical exertion, and diminished ability of sight and hearing frequently accompany this process. From an assumed decline in attractiveness to employment discrimination, society clearly demonstrates prejudice against older folks and a preference toward young people. As a result, the pressure for older individuals to maintain a youthful appearance so that they can benefit from the privileges of their young adulthood remains prominent.

The age in which this pressure is applied varies per individual, however it disproportionately affects women. Society forces women to believe that their self-worth should be tied to their appearance, and the appearance of their youth at that. Because of this, it’s no surprise that that 64% of women report facing age-related discrimination. 

According to statistics collected by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 92% of cosmetic procedures were done on women in 2020. The average age for a woman to get cosmetic surgery for the first time is 37 years, as many cosmetic surgeries intend to be age-reducing. For women, the age of 40 typically ends youthfulness in appearance and a decrease in fertility. After this occurs, women are often considered past their “expiration date,” or the age in which they are no longer considered physically desirable. 

Additionally, beauty companies persuade women to invest in age-reducing commodities like wrinkle-smoothing skincare and makeup products and hair dyes, for example, to elongate the appearance of their youthful physique. This is not only a concern of vanity: it is a survival tactic that many women must partake in to maintain their standing in society. 

Similarly, fashion magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen flaunt older female celebrities such as Jennifer Anniston, Jennifer Lopez, and Vanessa Williams — all of whom are in their 50’s — as the pinnacle of health and beauty for maintaining their youthful appearance. Unlike these celebrities who have access to an assortment of high-end beauty products, plastic surgeons, personal trainers, and nutritionists to continue to make them appear youthful, the majority of women do not have access to such resources. 

Transka believes that anti-aging resources are catered to those in a higher socioeconomic class because they have more time and money to invest in transforming themselves into the “ideal woman.” This is done so that they will appear more valuable to society, which is an idea that caters to men. 

“The world is really a man’s world, where they desire the ideal woman to marry and show off to their friends and co-workers their success in obtaining the prettiest and best looking woman,” Transka said. “Youthful attributes of great hair, teeth, and bodies mean more to people than what is one’s personality and inner beauty.”

Men, too, feel pressure to maintain a youthful physique. Symptoms of aging such as balding, weight gain, and wrinkles are critiqued by society. According to Yougov America, 59% of men ages 18-24 are terrified of going bald because it signals irreversible aging although some men can go bald as early as 20 years old.

Other aging processes like male menopause, which is a natural process in which men of ages beginning at 40-50 years old, causes men to experience a loss of muscle mass, redistribution of weight primarily to the stomach, and irritability. For 52-year-old John Evans, aging has made his weight increase. 

 “I have worked to force myself to be open and transparent about my weight,” Evans said. “I have worked to be seen as someone who is overweight, and to experience acceptance given my overweight status. It is hard.”

Anti-aging pressure is a kind of appearance related social pressure that not only results in poor body image and diminished self-esteem, but also outright discrimination. This makes it difficult for older folks to feel comfortable with their ever-changing appearances. Beauty, worth, and value do not have an expiration date, and society needs to learn to remove the pressure of appearing youthful and cultivate self-love in individuals of all ages.