How the hell is men’s aging synonymous with fine wine? What does that make us? Stale beer? I, like many, have been concerned with getting older for a while now. I get about 5 inches away from my mirror and monitor the fine lines that accumulate around my eyes and inspect the roots of my hair for signs of grey. For the first time in my life, I’ve been paying attention to the ads that promise anti-aging benefits, collagen, etc. God. Dammit.
It’s well understood how objectification, sexualization of youthfulness, whiteness, thinness, and manufactured beauty standards contribute to what is deemed as attractive in a Western society. You can look up vast amounts of feminist discourse on these subjects, but for the time being, I would like to circumvent my anger and focus on something else: telling the world to suck it.
They used to have this whole documentary hosted on Youtube, but Channel 4 in the UK unfortunately took it down. If you can find it, I highly suggest watching Fabulous Fashionistas.
The premise of this documentary is that you don’t have to live the life of a crotchety old person. Everyone knows that the keys to staying young are through diet, exercise, and staying out of the sun; which are definitely major parts of surviving the inevitable effects of ageing. BUT, I think people are too quick to realize that the power of the human will is something to be reckoned with. Keeping your mind passionate seems to be the secret of the not-so-eternal fountain of youth.
Forget botox, join a class.
It’s already starting to seem like time is running out for me, soon it will be expected that I pop out a few babies and start saving money like a real adult. But where’s the fun in that? Adults are often encouraged to give up their child-like wonder in exchange for responsibility and maturity.
I give so many props to older women who put themselves out there, and don’t age deter them. Even though there are vicious trolls out there, who base their own anonymous views off the socially constructed standards of beauty, it doesn’t stop them from doing what they do. In fact, from what I’ve already experienced, the older you are, the less you give a damn at all!
