In many tribal societies, the elderly were seen as a source of wisdom and were treasured by their society. Looks were unimportant. In our own society now, youth and beauty are worshipped far above age and wisdom. What happened? When did the shift occur?
2006-08-20 19:50:42 · 20 answers · asked by Honest Jane 1 in Society & Culture ➔ Other - Society & Culture
My educated guess would be that it started in the early 20th century, and more specifically right after WWI, which gave birth to the fads and fashions of the 1920s.
Before that, youth and beauty were almost always used as a symbol for innocence. Even as late as the Victorian Era, young beautiful people, especially women, are a symbol of innocence, both about the ways of the world, and about harsher realities, such as disease and malnutrition. Their innocence is depicted as a kind of beauty in itself, and one that is all the more precious because it will undoubtedly fade very soon.
The post-WWI era is the first time that I have ever seen where there was a definite shift toward maintaining youth. For example, it's the first time I can think of when women's fashions really demanded young, almost sexless bodies. Full bosoms and hips, which had been in fashion just a generation ago were suddenly seen as undesirable, and undergarment manufacturers started marketing bindings for the breasts, not to shape them, but to make them disappear. Similarly, if you read mail order catalogs or magazines from the period, there is a definite shift to staying young, rather than re-capturing lost youth. Before that period, there were a lot of products marketed to both men and women which promised to restore youthful things, such as energy for women in menopause, or sexual function for aging men. Suddenly, there was an influx of products that promised eternal youth and beauty if you just used the right cream or took the right medicine. And again, in the books of that period, you see a shift from older people being honored for their age and wisdom to them being dismissed simply because they are old.
I think that the trend which started in the West in the 1920s just continued to grow as the century progressed. Unlike other fads, which come and go, that one stuck. If you even compare magazine print ads from say 1905 and 1945, you see a marked difference. In 1905 the respectable homemaker who was the target of ads for things in the home, such as housewares and appliances, was an older woman, and I would guess from looking at them that she was about 45 to 50 years old. By just after WWII, the very same types of ads showed women who were clearly much younger, with models who appeared to be in their early to mid 20s. I suspect part of it, in advertising, at least, was that the target audience in 1945 were men who were coming home from war, marrying, and settling into domestic life, and that was their age group, but I also think it's indicative of a larger cultural trend.
Even now, it continues. Have you noticed that advertising icons such as Aunt Jemima and Betty Crocker have become younger and younger? When I was a child in the 70s, the pictures of these women on packages of food showed older women with wrinkles and gray hair that clearly stated "Trust me and my products, because I have experience". Now, if you can find the older images and compare them to the newer ones, you see drawings of women who are significantly younger, and free from bothersome wrinkles and grays.
The saddest thing in all of this, for me, at least, is that what started out as a trend in the Western world is slowly but surely being exported, and has been for some time. I was reading recently that Asian women in Southern California are a huge source of income for plastic surgeons. Traditionally, light skin was highly prized in Asian countries, as it meant that women did not work outside in the sun doing menial labor. The article I read said that about 15 years ago, they started also having a lot of procedures to remove signs of age. This was a real surprise to medical people, as before then treatments consisted almost entirely of skin bleaching and whitening. Doctors have rushed in to supply the need, however, and are now helping 50 year old women look like they did when they were 28.
2006-08-20 20:47:25 · answer #1 · answered by Bronwen 7 · 256⤊ 12⤋
What a great question! I think when the plastic surgery movement became more acceptable, working out was no longer an option but a necessity, and beauty meant power and control above all....even wisdom.I think it very sad. Although, that beauty control thing can only get you so far without wisdom to go along with it. It amazing how obsessing about weight and beauty, depletes your brain of personality and smarts.
2006-08-20 20:03:05 · answer #2 · answered by cm9779 2 · 20⤊ 6⤋
It probably occurred when we shifted from tribal communities to more "civilized" and "organized" groups. It could also have occur ed when society changed from matriarchal to patriarchal. I think both would make sense.in tribal groups, family was more important and information flowed from the older generations since they've experienced things more than the younger ones...our generation seems to base our information solely on the media and very very little on our grandparents or parents. As for patriarchal societies, men as a species tend to prefer younger, healthier (beauty shows health) women (instinctual needs for reproduction) so their interests being the more mainstream has made these aspects more important. Advertisers have also made this an important feature and it is always the most important feature featured on the media and will definitely have its influence. Anyway that is my opinion...I could be wrong
2006-08-20 20:06:36 · answer #3 · answered by Din 2 · 21⤊ 6⤋
Actually, most tribes did look at physical beauty. Tattooing and piercing originated with tribal communities and most of this was done for physical appearance. Even when it was done to mark the transformation into adulthood, these tattoos, piercing, brandings, and any other kind of physical alteration was done to attract the opposite sex and acknowledge the fact that someone has grown into sexual maturity. Our culture just assumes they didnt care about looks because the alterations they did to themselves are not appealing to us. But then again, some of the things we do to ourselves would not be appealing to them either.
As for cherishing older people for there wisdom, well...first of all, in some ways we still do that. People in higher political offices cant even be nominated until theyre a certain age. We consider old people in proffessions such as doctors, teachers, and priests to be more knowledgable than young ones. Think about it, I certainly wouldnt want to go to some OBGYN thats 20!! HA HA
But then the second thing you have to consider, at least in our culture, is that 60 is considered the new 40. I'm seeing more and more often grandparents running around like theyre back in high school or something. Going out all night, sleeping around, wearing skimpy things, just in general doing things that stereotypically older people should not be doing. So, if a 60 year old is still doing the same things as a 20 year old is, why would that 20 year old consider the older person to have more wisdom. Yeah, they may have more life experiences but obviously it doesnt help if theyre still acting like a 20 year old. The last thing I have to throw in here is look how bad the earth has been screwed up by our elders. Obviously they didnt know what the hell they were doing!! I'm not saying the younger generation knows either, but we gotta have our chance to fix it without the older generation holding us back and continuing to force some of the ideals they had growing up into a society that is much different than theirs was 40, 50, 60 years ago. Advice is great but sometimes they just gotta step back and let some new ideas take over the old ones. Just my one and a half cents :)
2006-08-20 20:31:53 · answer #4 · answered by Jaycee 2 · 56⤊ 7⤋
It started out with Cleopatra! Youth and beauty was always more important than age and wisdom for women til the 1900. Women then started going to college and got their college degree. Then wisdom took a downfall, when plastic surgery and lyposuction kicked in.
2006-08-20 20:21:58 · answer #5 · answered by ? 6 · 8⤊ 17⤋
About the same time kids discovered they could make more money from acting/modelling/singing than from working the same jobs their parents did.
And I think kids still value experience if not necessarily age and wisdom if you can bring yourself to understand their language and not treat them condescendingly.
2006-08-20 20:00:37 · answer #6 · answered by spindoccc 4 · 25⤊ 14⤋
It happened in the 60's. Kids rebelled against authority, age and wisdom... and then, now - became the authority!
2006-08-20 19:59:59 · answer #7 · answered by love_2b_curious 6 · 9⤊ 15⤋
During the 1950's when 'teen culture' began to emerge.
2006-08-20 19:54:18 · answer #8 · answered by ... 4 · 13⤊ 22⤋
mainly after the advent of theindustrial and information technology (IT) revolutions took place. this is when the aged had no idea of what was happening. they had no answers to what was happening. that is when the young gained more importance! at least that is what i think! don't you
2006-08-20 19:59:50 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 6⤊ 22⤋
In my opinion, it began with the first beauty contests, continued with TV shows, movies, and advertising and continues, and will probably continue forever.
2006-08-20 19:56:42 · answer #10 · answered by phoenixheat 6 · 27⤊ 19⤋
When the "moving picture" came along.
2006-08-20 19:56:04 · answer #11 · answered by NANCY K 6 · 19⤊ 24⤋