Blog 3 Beauty Myth

Mark Nesbitt

10/20/13

ENG 201 2 p.m.

Blog 3 Beauty Myth

     There are many instances in modern society, and all throughout history, of certain existing beauty myths occurring in the females of our culture.  The concept of aging as a terrible occurrence happens to be the exemplary model of a beauty myth at work in the P&G brand, Olay, in regards to their lineup of anti-aging products.  Olay’s seven signs of aging display the company’s advertising efforts exploiting the aging beauty myth to sell their products to insecure women.  The advertising of products and false statements that Olay broadcasts allows women to further slip into a psychological black hole. This figurative black hole happens to be that believing the natural process of aging is extraordinarily detrimental to a woman. 

            Olay claims the seven signs of aging to be, in order: dark spots, sagging of skin, dull and glow-less skin, lines and wrinkles, dry skin, patchy skin, and open pores.  If you actually think about what Olay is portraying the signs of aging to be, you can simply deduce that these statements are wholly and totally false.  Literally any human on the face of earth, no matter the age, has one or more of these “symptoms” of aging.  I, myself, have dark spots, lines and wrinkles, dry skin, and open pores.  Honestly, who does not have open pores and dry skin?  That is a preposterous statement whose only reason is advertised to sell a product.  Olay’s seven signs of aging are based off of a lie to exploit the aging beauty myth in today’s society.

            The aging beauty myth influences women to constantly lie about their true age.  This example of the beauty myth in action happens to be something I have witnessed many times throughout my life.  My mom has four sisters, my dad has two sisters, and obviously, my family celebrates their birthdays.  My aunts always lie about what age they are turning.  It is a ridiculous thought to believe that you must lie about your age to please a controversial societal norm, and even more preposterous to lie to your own family.  Your age should not determine how people look at you, at least in a negative sense.  Many societies revere age and the elders, which is why the aging beauty myth confounds me.  One of my aunts even has Olay’s anti aging cream in her bathroom, as I had noticed over the summer.  I find absolutely zero reason to hide the person you are, and to attempt to cover up a wrinkle or two in order to please a ridiculous norm.  Of course my own opinions have no effect in changing the infectious nature of the aging beauty myth.

Women are influenced by such products as Olay’s, in order to relieve their intense self-criticism and societal pressures.  A great deal of women carry themselves in such a way as to be reminiscent of a young woman in her prime.  A first-hand example of this occurrence would be my previously mentioned aunts.  My youngest aunt is forty-four years old. Her non-professional wardrobe consists of clothing styles that are popular with girls right around my age, and that I would see on a day-to-day basis here on campus.  This demonstrates her sense of attempting to stay young and to keep up her persona of being young and full of life.  To prove this can happen, and does happen in some form or another to most every woman, she has a Ph.D. in kinesiology.  Having a Ph.D. is not a common occurrence, and is not representative of the population, which I believe further aides in proving that the beauty myth can affect any woman, not just the common, everyday housewife.  There are no exceptions to the grasp it has on the women of today. 

Commercials have a large impact on women when it comes to the women on the television.  Women want to look like the models on Olay’s television advertisements, rather than act age-appropriately.  No doubt you should express yourself, but some women take it a step too far.  I have witnessed many times a woman dressing almost identically to their daughters.  They also tan regularly, and use many cosmetic products, such as Olay, to alter their appearance to a more stereotype-pleasing image of the beautiful woman.  They even take it a step further and have cosmetic surgery performed by a plastic surgeon.  This is the epitome of insecurity, in which women take it further than just anti aging products. Some women want to feel like they are part of a young and beautiful category of society, which plastic surgery seldom cures.  As you can see clear as day, women like Joan Rivers, Donatella Versace, and Jocelyn Wildenstein all have been afflicted by the aging beauty myth. They want to keep pace with the young and beautiful women of today, but you simply cannot just defy the unstoppable force of aging.

The aging beauty myth affects many women in today’s society.  It is something that will probably never vanish.  It will remain ingrained in the minds of all women that seek to be beautiful in the wake of aging.  Products such as Olay will continue to exploit this seemingly innate characteristic of modern society that women will continue to crave a younger and youthful appearance.  Complying with this statement, women will continue to play into this stereotype, completing the relentless and never-ending cycle that is the aging beauty myth.

http://www.womansday.com/life/10-worst-celebrity-plastic-surgery-mishaps-103522

http://www.olay.in/Pages/SevenSignsofageing.aspx