Aging Redefined: Changing the Language from Flaws to Features

Now that I have been in the “senior citizen’s” club  for a bit, I’ve started noticing something about the labels we slap on the aging process. They are seriously outdated! It’s like they were written in the 1950s and never got the memo that times have changed. The senior lifestyle today like everything else in our modern world has become more modern and current. Today’s seniors aren’t sitting quietly in rocking chairs, we’re hiking, traveling, starting businesses, running marathons and yes, on occasion forgetting where we parked the car. It’s time for something new, aging redefined

The Rise of the Modern Senior

Baby Boomers make up 20% percent of the US population. The modern day senior is healthier, more active and socially busier than ever. But the language used to describe us hasn’t caught up. Words are so powerful, they shape how we see ourselves and in return how the world sees us. 

We are unapologetically proud to be exactly where we are, and our age is a shining sign of success, a testament to all we’ve lived through and accomplished. We are not “over the hill”, we are on top of it, enjoying the view. 

The Power of Words in How We See Ourselves- Aging Redefined

Somewhere along the way society decided that as we age, our bodies should be described like a clearance item at a yard sale, sagging, spotted, and past their “prime”. Honestly, who came up with the “turkey neck”? That sounds like a failed Thanksgiving entrée, not the graceful sign of a life well lived. How about “wisdom drape” or “life’s scarf’.

 Or, how about crow’s feet? That’s not even flattering to crows. Let’s call them “smile sparkles” or “laugh lines”. They are proof you’ve had joy, and even more so not a reason to slather on some “miracle night  cream”.

Sagging upper arms? Forget “bat wings” or “bingo arms”. I vote for angel wings. These angel wings were earned after years of lifting kids, groceries and countless hugs which no one gives credit for. 

The next stop in aging redefined, the muffin top or beer belly. Let’s reframe that to “a happiness shelf” or a “comfort curve”. If it’s a sign that you’ve enjoyed life’s tastier moments, that’s worth celebrating not camouflaging it. 

How about “age spots”, could we please stop making them sound like a fungus? They’re sun kissed souvenirs, tiny constellations of memories from summers well spent. 

Aging is the Deluxe Version of Life

The truth is that aging is not a slow slide into irrelevance. It’s a sign toward becoming the best you’ve ever been. The silver in your hair? That’s stardust. The lines on your face, after all, they’re your life’s poetry.

So maybe the problem is not with our bodies at all, it’s the marketing. Let’s rebrand aging from damage control to the “deluxe edition”. After all, I believe that vintage always has value.  Here is aging redefined.

Thanks for being here,

-Soraya

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