Posted by
Katy Grimes on Wednesday, June 25, 2008 2:07:23 PM
Baby Boomers, the first of the self-absorbed generations - also called the "Me" generation, aren't aging well. I am a boomer, but at the very end of the group - sometimes called a "Tweener," between the Boomers and Gen X.
I thank GOD I was raised by a War generation father and not a Baby Boomer. Consequently, I have values that all don't involve my personal gratification and security.
The Boomers are obsessed with aging; most accurately, how it looks on them. It's not just women either; Baby Boomer men are having plastic surgery, going to tanning salons, getting their hair colored, getting Botox injections, waxing for hair removal, wearing invisible hearing aids, invisible braces, having vains stripped, getting manicures and pedicures, and shopping - like women.
Spare me. It's obnoxious enough that so many women are obsessed with their looks. I'm a little vain, I admit it. I get my hair highlighted. But other than expensive hair, I am pretty low maintenance - by choice. I don't get my nails and toes done, I don't wax or tan, or get skin peels, and I will never have plastic surgery, Botox injections or plumped up lip injections. I find it disgusting. It's a personal choice, I know. It's not how I want to spend my money. I prefer to focus on skin care, my health and fitness. I am aiming for being fit when I'm old. That's good looking.
All of this focus on "Me" by the "me generation," is not surprising however, the lengths to which they will go to keep youth, is. The money is usually a waste; you can usually tell if someone has had plastic surgery (not always), and for some people, it's such a boost for their self-esteem, that fixing a crooked nose or big ears or a turkey neck is understandable. Again, it's personal. But the men and women who get addicted to plastic surgery and constant "self-improvement," is tragic and sick. They never grew out of the "it's all about me" stage. The money spent on plastic surgery improvements should have been spent on good running shoes and a Therapist.
But it's the men I don't get... I don't think I'd like a guy who spends more time in front of the mirror than I do. The self-absorbed Baby Boomers take everything too far.