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One day Hollywood, Bollywood, music icons and business leaders alike will stand up proud and embrace their age. On that day, the world will be full of respect and admiration for the wrinkles on her face, the grey hair he has and the experience they all hold within.
The saying ‘age is just a number’ seems so far from the truth. It is what everyone wants to believe but not many people do. Misconceptions about aging are very easy to come by, everyday there are many people who fit the typical ‘old person’ stereotype. What’s forgotten is that people should never define someone by how old they are.
Age-related myths are a problem that has stemmed from both the media and memory. Formally known as Gerascophobia, the very fear of aging actually speeds up the entire process it itself; how ironic.
There are a small but growing number of people (elderly, doctors, media moguls, experts, etc.) that want to change the way society looks at and deals with the aging process. The vision is a world where society no longer looks at growing old as a problem. Right now it’s treated like an incurable disease.
People are spending billions of dollars to curb aging. Society is at war with wrinkles, grey hair,dull skin and memory loss (to name just a few things). Plastic surgery as an industry has skyrocketed and unique Botox alternatives are the new hot product on the market.
The cultural elite are trying to figure out ways to move everyone to‘conscious aging’ where society becomes more aware of, and accepts, what aging actually is. Social attitude towards aging and all the affiliations that come with it are toxic. Instead of spending the billions of dollars on fighting off the effects of growing old, the focus should be around improving the quality of life.
“The biggest fear is losing our physical features,” said Dr. Kara Lamont who is a psychologist. Quite often the skin and eyes are the first to show notice. Companies that offer solutions to get rid of wrinkles and crow’s feet are plentiful. Alternatives to plastic surgery are rapidly being released as some people have started to shy away from injections and other expensive means of getting rid of wrinkles.“This is just one step towards accepting aging,” said Dr. Lamont.
“We cannot let our fear or becoming something different keep us away from still being ourselves, enjoying life and keeping ourselves healthy.” She stressed that accepting aging and realizing that it is a ‘beautiful process’ will change societal norms.
Release ID: 65747