If only the Fountain of Youth really existed so we could avoid the unnecessary pain of the Botox needle or the cut of the flesh that comes with a face-lift. Now that would be a perfect solution in an imperfect world. Youth and maintaining it, as we all know, is the most important thing — along with good looks and a hot bod, of course. Don’t blame me, you guys; it’s called science.
So in a world that places such importance on looks and age, it’s hard to escape the “anti-aging” culture that has descended upon us. You can’t go anywhere without some sort of ad or promise that, “YES! Our product will make you look 15 years younger in 2.3 minutes!” Although that’s not really saying much if you’re 103.
With each passing year, the obsession to keep ourselves looking young and supple (yes, supple), increases. It’s not a fad, this love affair with beauty and youth, but a fact of being human in a world where the media has proven that these two elements far outweigh all else. You can be a horrible person who kicks kitties for a job, but you’ll be forgiven if you have a nice taught face, (and long hair, of course.)
In next month’s issue of Allure, the magazine in partnership with Penn Schoen Berland, dig deep into this need to stay young, how people prefer to do it, and what people think of those who think “going under the knife,” as they say, is the best idea ever. With the help 2,000 male and female participants, the study discovered some interesting truths. One such truth? That most hot dudes over the age of 35 are probably dying their hair. Seriously.
Women, naturally, feel far more pressure than men to look young. This is because women are supposed to be pretty for the menfolk who pound on their chest and demand dinner while growling, “Me hungry!” However, the menfolk, after eating a meal prepared for them, are more likely to hit up the local pharmacy for hair dye so, they too, can appear younger than they are: “63 percent of men color their hair to look younger, versus 36 percent of women.” But that’s pretty much the extent of it in regards to men trying to maintain that youthful “glow.”
When it came to actual procedures, only 1% of both genders had done the procedure thing, and “42 percent of women would consider anti-aging injections or surgery, versus only 18 percent of men.” Apparently, the menfolk, A. Like to keep things easy, and B. Think knives and needles are a bummer.
Another aspect the study looked into is how others, as in those youthful little minxes, view the old-timers who succumb to making “changes” that will keep them looking just like Joan Rivers nice and young. In addition to snubbing the idea, with their perfectly wrinkle-free mugs, “respondents ages 18 to 29 are overwhelmingly the most likely to have a negative opinion about a celebrity or politician who’d had injections or plastic surgery to look younger.” Yeah, that’s easy to say at 20 when your first grey hair is two decades away.
And because we were all just dying to know what the perfect age is, Allure put that out there, too. Are you ready?
On average, if our respondents could pick an age to be, it would be 31. We also asked when a woman is most beautiful: Men believe female beauty peaks at 29, while women give themselves a few more years, answering, on average, 31. When are women most sexy? According to our respondents (male and female), women are most seductive at 30.
Takeaway? Men dye their hair more than the ladies, 23-year-old women are judgmental about older women who get “work done;” but it doesn’t really matter because 30-31 is the best age to be, so the 23-year-olds can have their say on the aging matter in seven to eight years.
Does everyone know where they stand on this whole discussion now? Hope so.
Via HuffingtonPost
