Stefan Klein
Courtesy of The Week
We live in a society that promotes constant progression: professional, personal, spiritual, you name it. But, for whatever reason, society has decided the body’s natural progression must be avoided at all costs. Wrinkles, gray hair, and a slow metabolism have become the most intimidating, yet ultimately inevitable, enemies of Gen Z. External signs of aging signify an irredeemable mark of defeat, and no at-home remedy or surgical procedure in pursuit of prevention is too extreme. Obsession with maintaining a youthful appearance has cultivated an epidemic of expensive procedures, demanding regiments, and unrealistic expectations.
According to Precedence Research, the anti-aging market in the United States was estimated to be a 19.18 billion dollar industry in 2023. This amount is expected to double by the year 2034. The inclination to pay outrageous amounts of money to avoid the natural process of life is far from instinctual. Its dramatic rise in popularity is overwhelmingly credited to the unattainable standards set by industries that capitalize on looks. Companies identify societally encouraged insecurities in young women and specifically target them.
Targeted audiences of the anti-aging phenomenon are shifting younger and younger, and, unfortunately, Stone Ridge students are not immune. The beauty industry constantly perpetuates elusive standards of perfection onto increasingly younger demographics of women. As Botox has successfully become a socially acceptable and even expected beauty treatment for women as young as 20, there seems to be no such thing as too young.
Extensive procedures, though marketed as innovative and exciting, have the potential to become dangerous. With health risks including infection, abnormal scarring, nerve damage, and more, a youthful glow just doesn’t seem to quite justify a $2-5,000 surgery.
Besides the risks associated with plastic surgery, the most likely and haunting reality is that the patient will not be satisfied with their result. While plastic surgery can be helpful for individuals unsatisfied with their physical appearance, a common issue is that patients can have unrealistic expectations and are met with results that, not surprisingly, fail to meet these far-fetched fantasies. Psychological adjustments to a change in appearance can also be challenging to grapple with and can preclude the possibility of true authenticity. Some patients will never be satisfied, no matter the extremities of a procedure, and have developed a psychiatric disorder known as “body dysmorphic disorder”.
The shamelessly glamorized idea of youthfulness is not surprising. Aging is what brings a human closer to death, which is not a process anyone is trying to speed up. However, the extent to which Americans are willing to go in an attempt to delay the natural process is poorly intentioned and lacking information. This dangerous epidemic is perpetuated by the constant unrealistic imagery distributed by cosmetic companies, and a societal adjustment in expectations for aging women is more necessary now than it ever has been.