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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Looks are very related to generation, not only to age. If someone looks old it’s because they’re from a generation older than you, because secondary characteristics related to their generation are what you identify as old. Meanwhile, you look at younger generations and notice characteristics you associate with being younger, despite whatever age they really are.
I am a firm believer that your dental health makes a huge difference (along with all the other things presented here). My parents and in-laws all had terrible teeth and I think that when I look at photos of adults in the 1950’s or 60’s Anyone born in the in the US in the 60’s or later probably/hopefully had much more and better dental care and it shows in how different we look than our elders at the same age.
Working life.
The life of a manual working class person (most people born up to the 1970s) was much more physcially stressful than that of white collar workers (most people in the current generations). I’m 62 and look younger than my dad when he was 40, and I moved from blue collar to white collar jobs in my mid-thirties.
Kids spent way more time outside, which has health benefits, but their skin might have aged more.
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!
Rise of BPA amongst many other hormonal disturbances in our clothes, food and water since the previous generations. Our modern lifestyle increases hormonal imbalance, decreasing testosterone, etc. And hormones affects how we look like. A conversation nobody really wants to have, so unpopular opinion?
For OLD people, we’re also keeping our teeth instead of pulling them all for dentures. I never remember my grandma with real teeth, but my mom still has hers at almost 80. Better dental care generally makes us look younger for longer.
Beards. Poofy hairstyles. Short shorts. Look at how old actors were when they starred in films. They’re almost always older than they look.
Smoking, drinking, sunscreen, lead, diet, exercise, actually being hydrated.
Those factors on top of the fact that lots of us dress the same as when we were 18
Fine, I will collect some downvotes. Just hear me out before downvoting after the first sentence.
As a Gen Xer, we looked like adults because we dressed and acted like adults. Why? Because we were too few and too broke to even register on the radar of marketing departments. We followed the fashions of the day, and those fashions were largely geared towards mid life crisis boomers. We just did not matter, we knew we did not matter, so we just dressed in what was popular and available. Our only contribution to enduring fashion was the popularisation of the flannel shirt.
M’s and Z’s, well, y’all are massive by comparison. And you grew up in a world where things were marketed towards you your entire life. Unfortunately, marketing and messaging became more refined. They learned to identify weaknesses in consumers. And boy did the fashion folks find your weakness.
You were raised (partly our fault and we need to own that) in a manner that was very sheltered. Where feeling safe was important. We grew up constantly at risk, and we overcompensated. So now we have two generations that are anxious and easily motivated by fear. Not even real fear. Just fear of discomfort or inconvenience. Marketing saw that and capitalized. They sold you safety. Security. How? They sold you your childhood. Hang with me here
Look at the fashion trends of the last decade. They are either adult versions of what you wore when you were a child (rompers, for example) or they are just infantilizing you with things that make you feel comfortable and safe such as onesies. Even your shoes are throwbacks to your childhood. Casual day? Go out in your jammies and slippers. Because that is what we allow our children to do. Only now it is adult fashion because again, you are being sold your own damned childhood. And your food? How many adults do you know that eat chicken nuggets 2 or more times per week? Childhood food, but now made for adults who never learned how to cook for themselves. It’s just…
Listen, y’all are supposed to be the future. We never had a shot. We knew that from day one. But you guys, M’s and Z’s… You can really change the world. But you have got to sacrifice comfort for truth. You have to stop letting these bastards control you. Divide you. Section you off. You have traded personalities for identities. Personalities are limitless. Drawn broadly. Identities are carved down into smaller and smaller boxes every day. All the easier to control you. Send you to your little echo chamber. Teach you how to fear and hate anyone not in your ever-shrinking box. Don’t let them steal your youth like that. Don’t let them convince you that the others are evil or ignorant just because they disagree with you. You know who is wrong? Everyone. No one is right about everything and what you consider kind today will seem like something else tomorrow. So stop buying adult versions of childhood clothes. Stop eating childhood food. And stop allowing yourselves to be pinned into echo chambers of fear, hate, and rage. Life is so big, but it goes by so fast. Be young. Be bold. And be smart enough to see the good in people with whom you disagree
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