Gen Z Feel They Are ‘Aging Like Milk’; Here’s What Experts Have to Say
Aging is a natural process and with time, our bodies reflect signs of aging like the grey hairs and the wrinkles. GenZ, born between the late mid-1990s and early 2010s, is particularly worried about aging as per social media videos. The oldest GenZers who are 27 are already buying anti-aging serums because they feel they are 'aging like milk' (aging badly).
How is GenZ reacting to aging?
GenZers are pretty vocal about the stress of getting older. Many of them have taken it up on social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok to share their feelings about the same. In a viral TikTok video, Jordan Howlett said that he feels that GenZers have become mature ahead of their age due to the stress being put on their generation. Jordan is just 26 years old, and the thought of being old at this age has already gripped him.
In another TikTok video, Taylor Donoghue who is a 23-year-old pretty woman with a wrinkle-free face took a dig against the commenters who thought she was in her early 30s. Taylor feels the anxiety more when she scrolls through her posts and can see how she used to look when she was younger, The comparison with her younger self adds to her distress. She is constantly surrounded by the thought that is it her hair, her face, or her skin that makes her look older. GenZ members can be spotted going for anti-aging procedures and advocating the use of anti-aging products at such a young age. This shows the level of fear they have around getting old.
What are the experts saying about this trend?
Gen Zers post about everything, and aging anxiety is also part of their posts. Experts believe that GenZers who used anti-aging and other beauty and make-up products at a young age have started looking older due to the adverse effects of those products. Also, social media platforms come with filters and tools to make one look beautiful, so a GenZ who only posts photos with filters on their social media handles finds it difficult to love their real body when they look in the mirror. They develop anxiety about posting a picture that shows them without a filter.
Renee Engeln, professor of psychology at Northwestern University says, “There is a sense in which young people have forgotten what faces look like.” The beauty filters available on mobile apps and the false beauty standards set by cosmetic advertisements are to blame for this. GenZ follows celebrities and models who have multiple procedures and used tons of cosmetic products to change their natural bodies. So, they don’t have a clear idea of how one's body and face change as they grow.
Cosmetic companies and dermatologists are targeting GenZ
Several cosmetic companies are advertising their products just for GenZ. A company called Bubble Skincare surpassed the limit by enrolling 13 and 14-year-old teens as the ambassadors of their campaigns. Even dermatologists are promoting baby botox, a procedure that is only targeted at folks in their 20s and 30s and guarantees the prevention of aging signs. GenZ is influenced by the marketing campaigns run around them, and they have developed false notions of how the aging process works. Aging is natural and if GenZ accepts it, they will live happier and healthier lives.
