As a millennial, I recognize that us 90’s kids just look like very tall teenagers, where as people our age back 30 to 40 years ago actually LOOKED like they were in their 20’s. Why is this?
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The biggest factor, as other’s have noted, is clothing style. Simply put, pretty much everyone tends to dress in the style they dressed in their teens and early twenties throughout their lives. The clothing and styles you associate with the elderly used to be associated with youth fashions (looking at you jeans and t shirts).
There are some other factors:
1. Younger generations in english speaking countries tend to be less “white”. People with that kind of skin tend to age more visibly as they get older.
2. There’s more awareness of skincare. People use sun tan lotion far more often. Likewise, people spend more time indoors on computers, which again results in less sun damage.
3. Less smoking. Smoking ages you. Likewise excessive drinking.
4. Less air pollution. There is generally less heavy air pollution in western countries. Again, air pollution tends to age a person.
5. Culture that glorifies youth: A lot of our TV and entertainment is about people in their early 20s and late teens. Many of the models in advertisements or fashion magazines are similarly aged. The culture generally prizes youth and looks down on age. As a result, people try to look younger. In prior generations being older got you more status and respect, so people tried to look older (especially for men).
6. Plastic surgery. It didn’t exist 50 years ago!
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