Jamie Lee Curtis Ha! For her graceful aging, she has been in the spotlight for over 40 years. Although she is not the same young starlet that first appeared on the silver screen, Halloween, we argue she’s developed into something even better. Not only is Curtis a seasoned actress, children’s book author, producer, and activist, but she’s an advocate for embracing the aging process—a sentiment that’s even more relevant now than it was when she first shared her view.
‘Death, Taxes And Aging’: Curtis’s 2012 Statement
In May 2012 HuffPost Published an articleBy the name of “Anti-Anti.”The author? Jamie Lee Curtis. That’s right: Jamie Lee Curtis, the daughter of two Hollywood legends and now a successful actor. What is the topic? Aging in America—more specifically, our culture’s obsession with anti-aging practices.
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“Anti. There are many things I am against. Anti-discrimination. Anti-drug. Anti-oppression. Anti-poverty and sickness…Why then are we obsessed in this culture with Anti-Aging?” Curtis began. “I am appalled that the term we use to talk about aging is ‘anti.’ Aging is as natural as a baby’s softness and scent. Aging is human evolution in its pure form. Death, taxes, and aging.”
Curtis continues: “We are in the chain of our ancestors, like it or not. These are truths to be celebrated and in other countries they are. The term older and wiser is actually in play everywhere but here.”
Americans and Aging
Curtis opens her article by stressing the inevitable and universal nature aging. However, she then moves into an argument which rings even more true 10 years later, in 2022.
“In America, we celebrate youth and all youth’s indiscretions and follies. We cling to the shiny new thing, we stare at altered photographs and wonder why we don’t measure up. If you stripped away all the airbrushing and injectables and stylists and talented make-up and hair teams and the thousands and thousands of dollars spent on any one image, and you look at them in the mirror—the deep dark truthful mirror—you might just see yourself.”
This statement is pretty much timeless in regard to America’s obsession with anti-aging. Since the first advertisements were printed, they have been used to promote hair dyes, weight-loss products, and face creams. But as we read Curtis’s article from our perspective a decade in the future, we have a strange kind of hindsight that makes her words more powerful.
Current-Day Implications
Social media was still in its infancy in 2012. However, apps for photo-sharing such as Instagram and VSCO existed at the time of the article’s writing. Facebook was more used for sharing memes and playing games such as Farmville, than to document our daily activities. Our phones couldn’t scan our faces and apply filters with the tap of a finger as they can today.
In 2022, we can re-read Curtis’s words with the understanding that there are even more filters, fads, and products separating us from our authentic selves than there have ever been, which makes it all the more important for us to embrace our authentic selves. It’s absolutely impossible to live up to the standards we see online and on television because those standards are often created artificially: through an app, with an airbrush, with some extra padding here or there.
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Everyone wants to do their best on social media. It’s basically a highlight reel, which has made it feel like a competition. Who’s doing the most? Who is the most successful at aging? But the truth is, while aging is a beautiful process, it’s not always beautiful in the ways we expect. While our looks may not be up to 21st century standards, they are still beautiful. “youthful glow”This is replaced by a feeling of peace, wisdom, and self-assurance. What’s more beautiful than that?