Growing up, kids are told to enjoy their youth because, before they know it, it’ll be gone. Teenagers tend to worry about this a lot, and for those turning 18 on the cusp of adulthood, it is hard not to become more and more fearful of the future and the inescapable fact that they will inevitably grow old.
How are teenagers supposed to deal with the pressure of the terrifying idea that their youth, fun, and happiness will soon be sucked out of their lives and that they must retire to a life of dullness and wrinkles after entering adulthood? This is far from the reality of growing up, but our society is heavily focused on this grim future. We tend to hold a very evident fear of aging and growing old, which can be seen as an underlying tone throughout the media we consume.
The influence of skincare on the app TikTok has become huge recently and is something that plays off people’s fear of aging. This online community has named itself “Skintok” and gives tips and recommendations on what to buy, how to use different products, and what you need to do differently to look better.
Some of these Skintok videos include users showing what face cream is best to prevent and hide wrinkles, an instructional video explaining how to put on snail mucin toner the correct way, and a dermatologist recommending what to use for an a.m. and p.m. routine to maximize anti-aging, with both containing at least six steps each. Other videos provide reviews of what sunscreens to use to prevent wrinkles best or how to properly use a gua-sha to lift and smooth out the face.
These short videos differ on what they focus on, some centering around fixing dark circles, bringing dull skin to life again, or how to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. No matter the subject, all these skincare TikToks seem to have the common message that aging is bad and you should be doing something to prevent or fix it.
Skintok can be helpful for people struggling with acne or wanting to learn how to take care of their skin better, but it most commonly contributes to the harmful mentality that to be beautiful, people need to lessen the appearance of wrinkles and aging. It plays on people’s insecurities to make them want to look different, and by using these methods, the media also gets people to buy more products and spend their money on things they may not need.
So many skincare videos praise the appearance of “glass skin” or achieving the “glazed donut look,” but what is the appeal to staying young and baby-faced for your whole life? This mentality of staying young as long as you can doesn’t benefit anyone in the long run. You may appear younger, but you will only feel old if you constantly try to look younger and become that person you grew out of years ago.
Trying to look perfect and young forever is like running in circles, trying to chase something already gone, and it will only cause madness and more stress in people’s lives. We are humans who are meant to look like raisins when we have lived many years. We are not meant to have the appearance of timeless porcelain dolls.
There is beauty in growing old and aging with grace and gratitude for life. Our society needs to be more accepting of the fact that we will all grow up and one day cease to exist in this world.
It is a very scary fact, but if we don’t accept it, we will stay stuck in the past and be unable to move forward. Accepting the age you are currently in allows you to appreciate it and live your life to the fullest ,knowing that you will only be that age once.
When you look in the mirror, do you want to see a smooth, tight, emotionless face? Or do you want to see the smile lines you grew when laughing with your friends, the little squint lines around your eyes from being out in the warm sun, and the scars on your hands from random experiences over the years?
Our bodies aren’t meant to be perfect or flawless; they are meant to carry us through our lives and help us enjoy the beautiful world. They show the adventures we’ve gone on, the risks we’ve taken, the love we’ve shown the world, and the happiness we’ve been so lucky to experience.
Aside from appearances, does getting older really get better than the stereotypical glamorous, blissfully ignorant life of a teenager? This is said to be the time when you are free of responsibility and have unlimited possibilities for your future, and everything only goes downhill from here. In reality, no teenager’s life is perfect, and everyone has problems and issues of their own.
Getting older doesn’t mean there will be more or less problems in life, but just different types of challenges. Life is not easy by any means, but moments of happiness can be found if you seek it out.
Being a teenager isn’t as glittering as the media portrays it to be, and although adulthood has its ups and downs, it is not as depressing as it may seem. There are good things waiting after graduation and college, and there’ll be a lot more than just taxes and sore backs.
