Person #1: This guy is 40 years old, but he looks really good for his age.
Person #2: Yeah, he could pass for 35 easily, maybe even younger.
This type of thing is pretty common, right? Take a look in the personal ads and you'll see time and time again something like "35 years old, but get told I look 25" or "50 years old, but look much younger".
What's wrong with looking your age? I think our culture has a huge obsession with looking younger than you are*. Ever notice how every makeup commercial includes the phrase "reverses the effects of aging"? Why is it so bad to age?
I realize that I'm still young, at only 20 years old. I don't really know what feeling "old" is like, and I hope to never know. I hear people my age say that they "feel old". A recent study has shown that, on average, women begin to feel old at age 29 and men at 58. How ridiculous is that? Apparently women begin to feel old when their "assets begin to sag". I imagine that each day, thousands of people in America are told this: "You look good for your age!" Maybe if there was less pressure to look younger, people would get less plastic surgery, use less Botox, and be happier with their bodies.
Seriously, if you want to compliment someone, don't insult their age. That would be like someone telling me "You look great for being Caucasian!" Race is not something a person can change, and neither is age. Can we start giving real compliments?
My suggestion: Find beauty at every age. Wrinkles are not ugly. White, gray, and salt and pepper hair are not ugly. "Sagging assets" are not ugly. Learn to respect people of every age, and yourself at any age. Next time you think you're looking old, remember that "age" is a number that doesn't represent your true beauty.
* Except for children and tweens, who are told to look older than they are. That's another blog for another day.
