Age ain’t nothing but a filler…

Reading an article in the paper the other day about the latest celebrity trend, peptide injections, something that allegedly promises to promote a more youthful complexion and potentially add years to your life, I felt compelled to write about the phenomenon that has swept the globe. This fear of not only putting yourself out there in public, as you are, as nature meant you to be but also at the other end of the spectrum the absolute terror of, god forbid, getting old!

We seem to be fostering this somewhat androgynous race where everyone has fake eyebrows, eyelashes, fillers the list is endless, but when did we all want to look so perfect and identical to the rest of the population instead of embracing all the characteristics that make us who we are, unique and different to everyone else.

Authenticity isn’t social media trendy, rather promotion of perfect people is all the rage and has gone off the scale. People seem scared they won’t be accepted for looking like themselves so feel they have to portray themselves similarly to the influencers, vloggers, TikTokers and celebrities who have a ton of followers because that is how popularity, and indeed aspiration, is measured in the current climate. I don’t know whether it’s the aquarian in me or the fact that I grew up largely in the 80s but it all feels a little crazy. Is it not better to be yourself? Surely only then can you be sure that someone actually likes you for you?

We have created a generation, particularly of girls, although I don’t think boys are far behind, with misplaced body dissatisfaction, missing the crucial point that happiness is not found in perfection or number of followers but as cliched as it sounds, happiness ultimately only comes from being happy with yourself. It comes from within and what everyone else thinks of you is of little importance compared to how you think of yourself (cue eyerolling from Gen Alpha, Gen Z, Gen Y…)

The phenomenon is 2 fold. Teenagers wanting to look like their aspirational social media goddesses, and those heading towards their 40s and 50s who are scared of ageing. With this in mind, two things struck me recently:

1.       In a restaurant the other day I was on my way to the ladies, which was located upstairs, I came across  a small group of late 20s and early 30 somethings, en route, admiring the smooth forehead of one of the group after Botox and how they were in much need of a repeat appointment themselves…and

2.       A post on Instagram stating that 25-30 was too old to go clubbing…..wtf??

It seems to me that the current day expectation is a bit skewed. Teenagers are fed the feeling that unless they look like a ‘perfect’ airbrushed version of themselves, they will not be accepted by society and won’t be ‘liked’ whilst older women are made to feel that it is unacceptable to visibly age. As a mother of two daughters aged 23 and 19, and indeed a son aged 21, it saddens me that they live in a world where being your true, authentic, original self is not the done thing.

We have bred, although social media has played a strong hand, a generation that is lacking in self confidence and self esteem, who no longer feel that they are good enough without some outside enhancements. I have seen it first hand in clubs, yes I dare to go clubbing at the horrific age of 53, I love dancing, enough said! But I’ve seen 20 somethings too scared to let go and dance their socks off in case an eyelash slips or they might get a little hot and sweaty and it be caught on camera. It’s a sorry state of affairs that young people continually worry about what other people think, instead of relaxing and enjoying themselves.

As for the older generations, the irony from a wellness perspective, is that the way to look youthful and indeed elongate your life to some degree is to actually look after yourself properly by eating healthily, exercising, getting good sleep and keeping hydrated which may not sound that glamorous and may require a certain level of hard work and discipline but I’m willing to bet it will do more for you than injecting yourself with age resistant chemicals.

I’m all for democracy and personal choice, everyone should do what makes them happy, but I guess the question is, does it make you happy? Who are you doing it for? Are you administering the various potions to look the way you think you should, or because you genuinely think its enhancing what is already there? Feeling better ultimately corresponds to looking better and let’s not forget dopamine, serotonin etc, the feel good endorphins you feel when you look after your physical wellness, I’m not sure they are in the list of ingredients of chemical injections. Yes I appreciate there may be some sort of gratification when looking at the results but it will indeed be short lived and require another boost in a few months time.

It’s fascinating that people are willing to do these things to themselves, not only without truly knowing how safe it might be or what long term effects it might have, but also to make themselves look younger. The flaw here, is that anyone who has had work, looks quite clearly like they have had work which surely defeats the object? A friend recently said to someone, “oh you look good, have you had some work done?” Implying it could not possibly have been achieved through nature alone. And all these procedures are never a one off, they are never long term, they become a repetitive part of your life which not only takes its toll on your body but also your wallet.

Final thoughts

I understand the world wants a quick fix across the board in life, hence the popularity of the weight loss jabs, but what people are missing is that yes it may take a little bit of discipline and hard work to do things naturally, but the satisfaction and pride you gain are priceless. Not to mention you feel good. The bottom line is that you can’t cheat nature. The only way to look your best and ensure you live for a longer life is to look after yourself as best you can. The quick fixes are all well and good but very few come without side effects, so is the juice really worth the squeeze so to speak?!

PS “A face without wrinkles is like a life without laughter” Unknown. Recognize your authenticity contact positive-soul.co.uk