April 16, 2003

Like mother like daughter




Here is a TV show contest about mothers and daughters who look alike...or more like mothers who look young and dress like their teenage daughters. I get a lot of comments about not looking my age, but these mothers top it all. It's kind of weird to me that the mothers and daughters want to look like twins though...same hairstyle, same clothes, same make-up.

What kind of a message is the mom giving to her daughter? I think my mom is beautiful and is aging very gracefully, and I consider that a much better role model. Now that my mom isn't so busy running a household, her creativity is blooming. The wisdom and confidence that comes with age should be looked forward to, not feared.

Japan is definitely well on its way to a youth obsessed society. Which is scary considering the already limited options older women have here in terms of carving out a meaningful identity. On the other hand, divorce rates among women in their 50s has increased...meaning, they patiently hang on while the kids are in school and their husbands are working. As soon as retirement hits, and the wives have fulfilled their family obligations, they're ready to bust out of the limited world they lived in and begin exploring. Talking to my mom, older women seem much more able to adapt to their 'golden age,' while the men, who've clung to work as their identity for so long, don't know who they are anymore once they retire. Remember that ad a while ago where the retired husband was equated to a cockroach that the housewife was tired of having around?

Posted by Mie at April 16, 2003 11:07 AM | TrackBack
Comments

Completely off subject, you ketai takes television pics without putting bigass radiation bands through the image. I'm jealous.

Posted by: Ian at April 16, 2003 02:20 PM

Hi

Although this is a rather debatable situation, one could argue that the TV program is not the reflection of a local or national idiosyncrasy, but the result of trip to MIPTV in Cannes.

What I'm trying to say is that TV production is increasingly globalized, and a paradigm of it could be a reality show created in Argentina, in which the final prize is a job, now running in several networks in Europe. Despite the fact that the economical and social conditions are not even remotely comparable, a few network managers thought that looking at a show with a few people fighting for a job could be very entertaining for the average european coach-potato.

Posted by: Joao at April 16, 2003 08:32 PM

This regards the mom/daughter look alikes. Well, it's easy to say mom should "act her age" because you are young. But once middle age hits people treat you different and look at you different. It kind of sucks to tell the truth. I'm all for moms looking as young and cool as they can, dads too. There will come a time when you can't hide age anymore but until that day you should do your best to look young and vital and have fun. And BTW those moms are all very cute and attractive.

Posted by: Mike at April 21, 2003 05:14 AM

Hi Mike,

I realize it sucks. But that's the thing...Society really lays in on that aging sucks...as if aging means losing something (i.e. vitality) when I think aging should be celebrated as gaining something. Sure, you'd trade off the physical appearance of youth, but wouldn't it be nice if society truly respected the aged, so when you hit 50, you're like, "yeah!! I made it and NOW life gets interesting..." So I'd be all wrinkly or whatever, but hopefully content b/c of the respect and 'higher' position I'd gain from being old and wise...

I dunno. I'm just trying to say that age should be celebrated more...

Posted by: Mie at April 24, 2003 09:57 AM
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