Young and Beautiful

In class this week we watched "Killing Us Softly 4," a documentary I've seen before and recommend to just about anyone, male or female.  One theme Kilbourne talked about was youth and how youth in advertising was desirable.  Almost all ads feature young models or models that appear youthful; they may have youthful clothing, pose like children, or have so much airbrushing done that they appear younger than they really are.  This gives many people - especially girls - the impression that they must be young to be considered desirable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otW9z2ABQu0

As we watched the documentary I kept thinking of this Lana Del Rey song, "Young and Beautiful," in which she repeatedly asks, "Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful?"  Many people, including me at times, get this idea into their heads that once we are no longer young, no one would want to pursue a romantic relationship with us.  That once we get older, our looks fade and we are no longer seen as beautiful.  Advertising in this day and age does not help this.  We are bombarded with ads featuring young, beautiful models that we are supposed to aspire to be like.  The ads are telling us, "You have to look like this in order to be accepted by society, and if you do not look like this, you are considered ugly and undesirable."  It's as if we should be ashamed of the fact that we age.  Is there something wrong with being "old?"  Is there no joy in getting older?  How come I don't see any song asking, "Will you still love me when I'm old and STILL beautiful?"

Personally, I would love to see ads that feature more "older" people.  Not just in ads for medication and health insurance, but in ads for fashion, cosmetics, food, etc. just like the younger models.  In my eyes, there should be no shame in getting older - it's human nature!  Just because you age does not mean there is not someone out there who finds you beautiful and youthful in your own way.  More importantly, you can still feel beautiful and happy whether you are 21 or 81.