Today, it is easier than ever to be forty and fool others into thinking you are not. With our new found knowledge of what is "hip" due to the internet,highly advanced surgical techniques, and pictures that make us appear way younger online than in person due to filters, why should we limit the age that we find socially acceptable for people to become celebrities? In many cultures, elders were and still are revered and respected. The answer to why age should not contribute to public perception of people lies in wisdom.
There is not a stigma attached to being called old in Greek, Korean, Chinese, Indian, and Native American Cultures because they pass down their knowledge to the youth. They respect stories from older members of their group because value can be seen in the mistakes made by their ancestors. That is key! Why do we dismiss the people with the most knowledge to offer in western society? That is easy. Sixty-Five percent of people are visual learners. It takes a pretty and appealing image for people to listen to what an artist is saying or possibly read words that an author is writing.
There are multiple factors involved in attractiveness, but biological and societal programming has told people what they think is appealing. Add a nice pattern of notes and beats which human ears are accustomed to hearing, and you have a hit. That is probably why songs about a butts always seem to be hits. People get attractive young people with certain proportions to jiggle their jelly buns in front of a camera to catchy dance beats, and an audience is captivated. One cannot imagine the great minds of our past like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle doing this; however, it would be entertaining.
People over 40 have so much to offer society. They have learned life lessons through heartache, mistakes, and experience in general that they have analyzed and turned into practical life advice for others to gain insight. Unfortunately, the pressure is high to look a certain way for people to actually listen, but those over forty with something to say need to remember the visual society in which we live and try to visually appeal to your intended audience. It is sad that it seems so shallow, but it is science.
Though I wish I had fewer lines on my face, thicker hair, and a more youthful body, I wear my age with pride. I am proud that I have learned from my pain and my happiness. So, yes, I am forty, and I have a lot I want to say. I am going to rock out whatever I want and need to say in my heart because that is my duty as an elder!