What price would you pay to live forever? And would you only pay it if you’d look young too?
This Halloween, as we indulge in all things magical, mystical and horror, what better film to watch - and serve as costume inspiration - than Death Becomes Her; the iconic cult classic that satires the toxic obsession with youth.
But, whilst the black comedy might make for a great Halloween watch, have we actually learnt anything from it? Yes it might be a fantasy and satire, but underlying it is a cautionary tale of the pursuit of youth, and the sad reality and cost of living forever – and yet our society remains as obsessed with youth as it did then.
With the film coming out in 1992, it remains as relevant and loved today, including by new generations. It was even referenced in a recent Sabrina Carpenter music video, and many have drawn parallels between it and Demi Moore’s new body horror film The Substance.
Perhaps its continued relevance in itself speaks to our own internal warped, conflicting and uncomfortable relationship with youth. Despite film being a box office success when it came out, it was somewhat ironic that Isabella Rossellini – who played the character providing the youth potion – was notably dropped as the face of Lancome just 4 years later at aged 42 for being too old.
And today, whilst the pro-age space is growing rapidly, with discerning consumers demanding brands to move away from harmful, anti-ageing and youth obsessed rhetoric and narratives (Rossellini herself was rehired by Lancome in 2016, Allure banned ‘Anti-ageing’ in 2017, and many brands have laudably and successfully launched age positive campaigns in response – see also our global #RemoveAntiFromAging campaign earlier this year) simultaneously the anti-ageing market is projected to reach a value of $191.6 billon by 2030.
What’s more, the disturbing extreme and new lengths individuals go to preserve and prologue youth continues. Whilst we might be bemused by Elizabethan women using raw meat slices on their faces to ward off wrinkles; is a blood vampire facial or injecting salmon sperm really all that different?!
Meanwhile, there’s the burgeoning and increasingly profitable Longevity space. The overarching narrative here is around embracing age and living your best life - and there are some fantastic organisations, services and products getting it right by reflecting this. But in other cases there is still the underlying subtext of clinging onto youth in an attempt to preserve life; essentially ‘anti-ageing’ has just been dressed up in new, more palatable language.
At Ageism Is Never In Style we fully stand for and support living the best version of your life at every age, whatever that may look for you. And with choice the first pillar of our manifesto, we respect every individual‘s personal choice to choose to age however you wish, free from judgement and pressure. But to live means to age. So rather than freezing time, let’s embrace the process, and the journey that comes with it.
After all, the magical elixir of life might mean you don’t end up in the ground, but is living forever, crumbled at the bottom of stairs with your arch nemesis really worth it?!
So this Halloween let’s appreciate Death Becomes Her for what it is: a fabulous film that serves a great costume – and an important message.
Video & image credit: Courtesy of Universal Pictures
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