Aging Gracefully?

It is very hard to age gracefully in America. The media bombards use with images of youth as the standard of beauty. There are also many products and plastic surgery interventions to help us "look younger". Magazine articles and talk shows geared towards women present information on looking younger as though it's a part of promoting general wellness. Women are pressured to look young by every aspect of society. Movies project young women as happy and older women as cynical and tired. This creates an environment that perceives aging as a disease, something bad that needs to be treated.

I admit that this has affected me. When, I see an older woman on television or in an ad, I wonder why a younger woman was not used. I'm literally repelled by aging. I don't like to see it in the media. I know this is wrong but I believe that I, like many people have been sensitized in this manner. If women feel this way about other women it more than likely transfers over to the way we feel about ourselves. The only way to change this is to sensitize us to the image of aging. There must be more depictions of older women in the media. Our talks shows have to stop glamorizing youth and stop promoting plastic surgery and other age related interventions. But basically, it has to start with us. We as women must present a positive example to younger women. Older women have to stop coloring their hair. White hair should be considered a mark of beauty and distinction not old age. Older women should be esteemed for their grace, experience, and unique beauty. Also, women must demand to see images of older women depicted in a positive light. Instead of accepting the label that society has placed on older women, we must create our own environment of positivity and appreciate aging.