Magic Mirror on the wall who is the fairest of them all?
We all have a Magic Mirror.
They become more powerful as we age.
Mine, for example, shows a version of myself from the mid-90s.
The wisdom from experts in this field is that we all see ourselves as between 10 and 20 years younger than we are (at least in chronological terms).
I think (and act at least according to my family) as I did in my Thirties. It is true of everyone I know around my chronological age.
In every marketing research group, I have ever been to featuring people close to/retired. They all picture themselves as c20 years younger than their age and expressed extreme views around not wanting to hang out with “old” people in many cases. That probably tells you all you need to know about how deeply ingrained Ageism is in society!
Interestingly the point at which old age starts is also contentious with the conclusion that no one ever thinks of themselves as in this part of life’s 4th Quarter. In my experience, this also becomes more acute with affluence. The live forever mentality fuelled by science and longevity has become a thing and is a valuable industry all of itself. Perhaps we will see a reclaiming/repurposing of some of the words that have a negative association.
