Eternal Youth!!
Happy Holidays!
Yes that's right, I said "Happy Holidays". I guess according to the media that makes me a soldier in the "War on Christmas". Actually, that's why I haven't been posting blogs for the past couple of weeks; I've been on the front lines of the war targeting and eliminating lawn Santas and Nativity scenes! First of all, the point of saying "Happy Holidays" isn't to degrade any celebrated holiday in particular, it's actually the opposite; to wish everyone, no matter what holiday they celebrate, a positive merry ole gay time! (except in Hillsborough County; they don't believe in a "gay lifestyle")
Anyway, the topic of today is this country's Obsession with Youth. From anorexic Calvin Klein models and plastic surgery, to the value placed upon the productivity potential and marketing focus on youthfulness, I would posit that this phenomenon is rooted in two veins;
1. Fear of Death; which in essence is what happens upon the culmination of your body’s' progressive deterioration, or what is commonly known as "aging".
and
2. It's all about the Benjamins; good ole' capitalistic focus keeps our eyes on the prize, and face it; looking older isn’t as profitable as looking younger.
The first one is a no brainer; nobody wants to die. Aging is the pre-cursor to death. Boom. If I go to Dr. Youthenstein, or take these stupid pills and rub this cream on my ass and face I can avoid the Big Chunky Charlie; or at least reduce the visual cues of aging. Wrinkles, age spots, hair removal, hair restoration, the list goes on and on. Does reducing or increasing any of these really impact when you're going to die? No. Does it give you a false sense of youth? Yes.
The second one is so obvious, if you don't get it or see it for yourself, you might as well believe that some omnipotent dude who lives outside of the space continuum created the universe and gets angry when you masturbate!
I've got a great business idea. How about I take something that all people are afraid of, like "death" and its precursor "aging", and I create a bunch of shit to sell people that will cover up, remove, restore, implant, extract, laser away, firm up, and tighten up a more "youthful" appearance! People will love looking younger because it will give them the delusion that since they don't look older, they may not be closer to death! The younger you look, the further from death you are!
What? It's already been done? Well, fuck..... All I have left is this stupid eternal life and Heaven or Hell idea to control and convince the masses that there's something better than the life they are living.....But I don't think that would ever sell.....
What do yall think about this obsession with youth?
Are we just victims of ingenious marketing?
Drink the caffeine goodness, slap yourself in the face, and get us learnt!
Yes that's right, I said "Happy Holidays". I guess according to the media that makes me a soldier in the "War on Christmas". Actually, that's why I haven't been posting blogs for the past couple of weeks; I've been on the front lines of the war targeting and eliminating lawn Santas and Nativity scenes! First of all, the point of saying "Happy Holidays" isn't to degrade any celebrated holiday in particular, it's actually the opposite; to wish everyone, no matter what holiday they celebrate, a positive merry ole gay time! (except in Hillsborough County; they don't believe in a "gay lifestyle")
Anyway, the topic of today is this country's Obsession with Youth. From anorexic Calvin Klein models and plastic surgery, to the value placed upon the productivity potential and marketing focus on youthfulness, I would posit that this phenomenon is rooted in two veins;
1. Fear of Death; which in essence is what happens upon the culmination of your body’s' progressive deterioration, or what is commonly known as "aging".
and
2. It's all about the Benjamins; good ole' capitalistic focus keeps our eyes on the prize, and face it; looking older isn’t as profitable as looking younger.
The first one is a no brainer; nobody wants to die. Aging is the pre-cursor to death. Boom. If I go to Dr. Youthenstein, or take these stupid pills and rub this cream on my ass and face I can avoid the Big Chunky Charlie; or at least reduce the visual cues of aging. Wrinkles, age spots, hair removal, hair restoration, the list goes on and on. Does reducing or increasing any of these really impact when you're going to die? No. Does it give you a false sense of youth? Yes.
The second one is so obvious, if you don't get it or see it for yourself, you might as well believe that some omnipotent dude who lives outside of the space continuum created the universe and gets angry when you masturbate!
I've got a great business idea. How about I take something that all people are afraid of, like "death" and its precursor "aging", and I create a bunch of shit to sell people that will cover up, remove, restore, implant, extract, laser away, firm up, and tighten up a more "youthful" appearance! People will love looking younger because it will give them the delusion that since they don't look older, they may not be closer to death! The younger you look, the further from death you are!
What? It's already been done? Well, fuck..... All I have left is this stupid eternal life and Heaven or Hell idea to control and convince the masses that there's something better than the life they are living.....But I don't think that would ever sell.....
What do yall think about this obsession with youth?
Are we just victims of ingenious marketing?
Drink the caffeine goodness, slap yourself in the face, and get us learnt!
posted by Don the "Head Chimp" at
7:58 AM
6 Comments:
I don't really see the big deal personally, but then again I still have all my hair ;) I'm going to disagree with your marketing action because the advertising trend right now is to market products to older persons. However if your statement is to market twords older persons to enable them to look younger then I will agree. However some of these product very well could work. My wife, for example, has always been about using the creams and such to put off wrinkles as long as she can. And thankfully for me she gets carded at every bar and liquor store. People think she is about 20 to 23 when in actuality she is 30 but don't tell her I told you or I'll be killed.
By
Anonymous, at 10:07 AM
I am aging very gracefully and cheers to all those that can stay fit and look young without over doing it.
By
Anonymous, at 11:24 AM
Brings in dollars. I don't know if you've checked, but the anti-aging b.s. bought (yes, even at the supermarket), is like, super-expensive. It's for money. Looking old: Will not make people want to fuck you. It will not get you a good job, as while you may be wiser; what if the person dies soon? Us women? Fuggedaboudit.
Then I heard that 40 is the new 20.
All in all, I don't really care TOO much..with the exception of the "laugh lines" - I still look about 20-21. Still get carded for cigarettes, Rated R movies, even.
And, I think this obsession with youth is a battle that will never be won.
"Hey! She makes a great-looking corpse!"
Besides, as we all age, more people age. By the year 2015, we'll have more people over 65 than any other age group. I think this trend began by these people not wanting to get older..and when they do, it may reverse...and perhaps turn into a marketing ploy of wheelchairs with hydrolics and sweet rims.
By
Anonymous, at 12:42 PM
I've got a great idea, too: don't go 20 days without posting an entry. Some of us need something to read, bastard.
The first two comments hit on what I wanted to say (way to go guys!): that marketing age-defying products, while it is a reflection of a youth based culture, is actually aimed towards older people; also, I wanted to say that people do elect to risk their lives (ok, maybe not big risks) to look youthful, which weighs against your idea that people are trying to look youthful to escape confronting their own mortality.
I think we should adjust the meida from a youth based culture to a Dan-Cohort-Group Culture, which focuses the media on whatever age I am.
- mdbm
By
D a n i e l, at 12:49 PM
Hold the Wrinkle Cream
I don't know whether it was miscommunication or that I sent subliminal messages indicating that I thought old people aren't buying the "stay young" campaign;
But I think American Society as a whole has bought into the fact that "looking better" is "looking younger". My point is, WHY is youth valued as "better" than looking older?
The value in looking older may be found in the experiences, increased life satisfaction, and greater understanding found with being around for a bunch of years. Granted, not hanging around for too many years to the point where your health has declined to wearing diapers, fearing movement, and having things cut or lasered off of your body, but finding the value in experiencing life over a while.
My first posit is based upon the subconscious desire to look younger, because the younger you look, the further from death you may appear.
The second posit is probably the easier to chew on because youth is marketed as what you want to be. Young people have plastic surgery, buy expensive preventable wrinkle cream, get preventable botox (despite the long-term damages), have liposuction, etc. However, usually it's the older people (middle-aged) that are not only at a point in their lives where aging is more salient, but they can afford to purchase products and have surgery to re-capture their youth, or the youth that is marketed.
It's why youth is over-valued that I'm trying to tap into.
Why should we revel in trying to stay young when throughout our lives we quest for experience?
By
Don the "Head Chimp", at 2:42 PM
take a look at Joan Collins. She buys into the market. With everything.
She would also scare a small child.
By
Anonymous, at 3:09 PM
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