I am not the first to write about this nor will I be the last - why are aging men and women viewed differently? A man begins to show a couple of facial wrinkles and at that moment he is known as rugged. Women begin to show the finest of lines and she is all of a sudden undeniably defined as in "her mid to late thirties" even if she isn't. A man with a few flecks of grey hair becomes distinct and worldly. A woman with one grey hair becomes hysterical and mortified and heads for the nearest aisle of hair color.
A man gains ten pounds and he will be labeled simply as happy. A woman gains ten pounds and she is written off as "she let herself go". The to-do list a woman creates to please the eye of the world is long and painful. Eye creams, body lotions, facials, treadmills, push-up bras, waxing, tweezing, and Spanx verses a little less hair, optional shaving and Viagra, there is no comparison. How could the process of getting older be so complementary for one gender and so cruel to the other? Maybe this is payback for that forbidden evening snack in the Garden of Eden? It is possible the conspiracy began then.
Maybe it's under hidden jealousy because women can do one thing that men cannot - give birth. Think about this for a moment - giving birth could be considered the Fountain of Youth, the one thing most people seek. Since most things for men are competitions, giving birth is surely one they can't win. Maybe the age game isn't so unfair. V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!
