Dubai: Some of the strongest criticism from dissenters of the anti-age movement is reserved for the co-opted partnership of the age of materialism and the politics of self.
The myth of ageless beauty is the most-purchased mass market commodity of today. But this partnership is an opportunistic alliance, says American artist Chris Orapello.
Products and processes are created to fit into the single biggest context of the moment — ‘youthcentricity'.
"Did the market appear because there was a need or did the need arise because of the market? I would honestly say that they developed simultaneously over time," Orapello said.
Orapello sees self-worth as a highly adaptable element.
Building one's self-esteem requires us to willingly step through the many doors life continually opens for us, he says. "It permits one to find their true self, relieve oneself of the fear of age and come face-to-face with one's inner beauty," he said.
Drastic solutions
On the other hand, destruction of self-esteem occurs because there is "no building of the inner self and of one's inner beauty. Instead, people turn more to drastic exterior solutions — dieting, starvation, or cosmetic surgery — which can never correct or address the inner work that they may actually need and which could truly result in them finding the sense of completeness and fulfilment they may be seeking.
"Practices done in conjunction with inner development and to unite the inner and outer selves can be positive. Dieting and surgery can, of course, have positive effects in a person who is sure about herself," Orapello says.
