Age Is No Longer A Factor In Who We Become, Our Choice Is

We often come across stereotypes related to age. 'Looking younger than your age' is dismissive of our experiences. Why should we take it as a compliment?

We often come across stereotypes related to age. ‘Looking younger than your age’ is dismissive of our experiences. Why should we take it as a compliment?

Apart from the mythologies like Ramayana and Mahabharata where the elder child and the primogeniture concept were important, what we often see in movies and shows is quite different. Let us look at the various aspects of unhealthy demands of being young.

You look so much younger than your little sister or brother!! Is this really a compliment? Why does one have to look younger at all?

The stereotyping of elder and younger siblings doesn’t help in real life

The elder child is supposed to be the quiet one, the younger one more lively and chirpy. The elder one is to be responsible, the younger one carefree. If the elder child gets into a love marriage/drinks/ smokes or gets any of the societally condemned habits, and whether or not the younger child does it, the elder person would be blamed for their siblings’ actions because of the responsibility that comes with age.

Moreover, the younger daughter (in many Indian soaps) is portrayed as the pretty one. Does it have to be with age? Or does it have to be with the personality?

Girls start looking older/mature much earlier than boys!!

I guess many of you would have heard your parents say this. They even defend the earlier age difference of 10-15 years among the spouses as being “normal” because the girl will get old much earlier.

Is it just because she’s a girl? Or because of no self-care? Or maybe due to adverse physical and mental health? I think people might have to relook at this concept while looking at couples like Nick and Priyanka or Sushmita and Rohman.

You look younger than your age!

We need to get ahead of these concepts. What we ultimately do is increase the business of various service providers be it botox, facelift, salons, gyms, or face creams which hardly work.

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The famous Monica Geller (Courtney Cox) had her fillers removed as she felt it marred her natural looks. We can all agree she looked much better without it.

We need self-care

What we need today is self-care, exercise, being happy. Take out some time for yourself, calm down and meditate, read, eat what you wish in moderation. Live a happy life without caring about what your neighbors think.

Look for inspirations around you, be it your mother who exercises at 45, your father who plays sports at 50, your uncle who is a badminton player at 60.

Or even celebrities like Milind Soman at 50+ and his 75+ mother who can do push-ups at this age. I feel that’s the right combination of wrinkles and white hair with which we can aspire to have a happy life after all.

Image source: shutterstock

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Dr Arushi

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