Aging is difficult for many of us to accept. We look in the mirror and see an older version of ourselves staring back at us. Between the wrinkles, gray hair and bald spots, we wonder where the time went and how we can hold on to the young elements of ourselves that remain.
Of course, this is all very normal. There’s a reason people say, “youth is wasted on the young.” I agree with that to some extent, but I also feel as though chasing youth is wasted on the old.
Whether I want them or not, there’s always news out of Hollywood or within the uber wealthy that hits my social media feed. Two stories in the news recently were the marriage of Jeff Bezos to Lauren Sanchez and Jennifer Love Hewitt’s appearance at a recent movie premier. The two are related but also very different.
In the case of Lauren Sanchez, much like many within the extraordinarily wealthy, she’s doing all she can to hold on to her youth. Mass amounts of cosmetic surgery coupled with who knows how many other artificial treatments have allowed a woman in her mid 50s to look younger than she actually is. Personally, I think she looks like a plastic version a woman, but it’s not my place to judge.
On the other side of the spectrum, we have Jennifer Love Hewitt. Once a Hollywood “it girl” from the 90’s, she’s now a 46 year old mother of 3. Although she’s still very attractive, she no longer has the tight body she was known for in her youth. This has been replaced with a curvier version of herself, most likely due to a combination of aging and the expected results three kids have on a woman’s body. In a non shocking development, she doesn’t look exactly like she did twenty years ago.
On one hand, you have a woman who’s doing all she can to hold on to her youth, while the other is boldly embracing her age and body in a very public way. Judging from the social media comments, there’s no winning in either case. One of them looks like a fake version of herself while the other has let herself go. There’s very little room to allow either of them to age gracefully.
Social media is most likely to blame for many of the ills in our society. As much as I enjoy working out multiple times each week, the days of me having ripped abs have long since passed. In my case, weekend beers and smoking delicious meats are to blame, but a slowing metabolism and general older age comes into play as well. If I were to pay attention to social media, my abs should be visible while my body should be toned from head to toe. Thankfully, I ignore the noise and go on with my life.
Holding on to something that’s slowly slipping through our fingers only makes sense. None of us wants to get older. Considering the alternative, the ability to age surrounded by those we love is a gift. Letting go of our younger selves while embracing decades of adulthood is liberating. I have zero judgement for anyone who needs plastic surgery or artificial fillers in order to do this, but just know, you’re not fooling anyone. Age has a way of catching up to all of us eventually.
The fountain of youth is a myth. The fountain of acceptance is readily available.
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