Big is Beautiful. Old is Ugly.
Why is an eternally youthful appearance not considered an unrealistic body image?
As chronicled in a Buzzfeed post, images of mothers, daughters , and even grandmothers who can pass for sisters have been dominating the Internet. The public’s obsession with youth is nothing new. It is not surprising that Jen Selter and her toned and fresh faced mother are Instagram sensations. Nor is it a shock that last year, when 66-year-old former Olympian, Bruce Jenner, revealed in Vanity Fair magazine that he will live the rest his life as a woman, he chose to go by “Caitlyn”, a name given to only five baby girls the year of her birth. Jenner’s ex-wife, 60-year-old, Kris Kardashian, insists that her grandkids refer to her as, “Lovey” as opposed to “Grandma” for similar reasons.
22-year-old fitness model, Jen Selter (right) poses with her mother, Jill, 48.
What is surprising is that these images of eternal youth are presented as aspirational by women’s magazines and the Internet, two mediums that, in recent years, have expressed a desire to change society’s narrow vision of female beauty. Sports Illustrated recently featured plus size model, Ashley Graham, on its cover. The move was widely considered a step in the right direction and critics, such as actress, Cheryl Tiegs, were swiftly shamed and pressured to apologize. The mainstream media’s body acceptance movement is a mea culpa for decades of promoting a thin ideal, blamed for contributing to increasing rates of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction among women.
In 2016, promoting a low BMI is frowned upon, but promoting eternal youth is fine. Each time Jane Fonda graces a red carpet, there is the inevitable article about how enviably young the actress looks for 78. This article is met with little, if any, public outcry. There are no articles praising 81-year-old actress, Maggie Smith, for shattering notions of conventional beauty by continuing a career in the public eye without bowing to Hollywood’s expectation that she fight the natural aging process.
Jane Fonda
Maggie Smith
Perhaps there should be. The media’s insistence that women never look a day over 40 has coincided with rising eating disorder rates in the over 50 demographic. In an effort to eliminate wrinkles, many older women are subjecting themselves to Botox shots and cosmetic procedures that come with serious health risks.
The desire to maintain a youthful appearance is the #1 reason people undergo risky cosmetic procedures.
The media’s inclusion of larger bodies may make young women feel better about their own, but what happens when these bodies begin to sag?
