Afraid of Aging? (Part I)

If you are afraid of ageing, then cease to exist!

Women these days are so worked-up over aging; they seem to worry about aging more than men do. A friend of mine has been 25 years old since 2006 up to present. A 30-year-old woman (whom I know personally) posted on her facebook page last week, during her birthday, that she, too, is 25. Hilarious, isn’t it? But it is serious, too.

Nowadays, most young women do not want to go past age 25. That’s the number they all want to be---and no more. Ask one of them this year and she will tell you she is 25. Ask her again next year, she is going to be ‘25’. Try again the following year and she will still be ‘25’. That’s where she wants to be and is determined to remain stuck there forever.

But for how long will anyone continue to do this to oneself? Why should someone remain this afraid of aging? 

This is what Sonnie, a used-clothes dealer, had to say to this: “It isn't really anyone’s business how much I weigh or how old I am. But guess what? In the social arena, I have started to notice that women in their early 40s (including myself) are starting to turn invisible in our contemporary Liberian society. No young man wants to be around me. I am only coming across middle-aged or older men. I see why many older women in our society, these days, prefer to be called ‘sweet 16’ and hate to be branded ‘old ma’ or ‘aunty’.”

Sonnie continued, “Look, sometimes, I am approached by a younger fellow but the moment I tell him I am 40, his mouth drops. And right there, I will notice an immediate shift of gear from ‘interested’ to ‘sorry, no interest old ma’. So now, I, too, appreciate being referred to as ‘sweet 16’. I tell people, especially men, who approach me that I am 25 or 27, my dear. I don’t want everyone running away from me just because of my age. In fact, I feel very offended when I am asked in the first place.”

You are afraid of losing your attractiveness and becoming "invisible"? Well, the thing is so simple. If you are this afraid of age, you might as well cease to exist, because the longer you stay on this earth, the more your age is going to add up. And  if you think you will always go on deceiving yourself (because you really are doing it to yourself) with your all-time fake ‘25s,’ then check again; because soon the wrinkles will be the ones to speak for you. They will be the ones to tell your age without seeking your permission. And don’t think you will always hide behind those anti-wrinkles or anti-aging cosmetics, because they, too, will, at some point, get so fed-up with your fake life, they will expose you big-time.

If you can afford it, go under the knife (cosmetic or plastic surgery) as many times as you want. But one thing remains for sure: no matter what happens, we will all age. So what’s the point? If you want to be ridiculous enough to believe that you will never age, well, then, cease to exist!

“When I revealed by age in the presence of my niece, who claims she is a hardcore feminist, she frowned and said:  ‘Oh, well….I mean, ladies do not reveal their age’. But you know what? I am who I am. Take it or leave it! What I am is 42. Why hide our natural evolution? I feel pity for those older women who continually dye their hair simply because they always desire to appear young,” Abigail told me in an interview.

In Ghana, the women there are fond of bringing down their ages because for them, there are different ages that suit different levels in life. They have high school ages, ranging between 12 - 17 or maybe 18. They have particular ages to suit their college days. And when it comes to marriage, they have particular ages for that.

So, now you know that what scares them most about aging is the fear of losing their looks. Growing old makes women unattractive, they say.

Why all this drama? No matter what, women age---and we are faster. If you think you will continue hiding it, the wrinkles on your face will surely tell how far you have reached.