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Calling Products “Pro-Aging” Doesn’t Change Their Message That Aging Is Bad
I’m done with the anti-aging product promises.
In the late 1990s, my mom took me to the Clinique counter at Macy’s to see if they had any products to help my acne-prone skin. The white-smocked saleswoman seemed to have all the answers: a soap to remove impurities, a bracing toner to remove dead skin cells, and a moisturizer to keep skin supple. She also added a tinted pollution-blocker with SPF to our order.
“Why do I need the pollution-blocker?” I asked.
“It’s anti-aging,” the saleswoman told me. “It helps block out the sun and any pollutants that can prematurely age your skin.”
Anti-aging? Ah, so aging is bad.
I was 13 years old.
I didn’t discover my mom’s real age until I was in my 20s. Growing up, whenever I would ask her, she’d reply, “A real lady never reveals her age.” I intuited that there were unspoken rules she felt she should follow to be considered “a real lady,” although I didn’t understand them myself. Only later did I recognize her resistance to divulge her age as insecurity.
I loved to watch my mom put on make-up. Her make-up bag seemed like a bag of potions — lipstick to add color and shine to her lips, and mascara to…
