4.15.2011

WHAT A SHELF LIFE!

I Googled the word "aging" yesterday and this photo popped up again. I wonder about this poor woman, who she is and how she must feel about having her face splashed all over creation..... and with an expiration date stamped across her brow no less.

According to popular belief she's too feeble minded to know how to turn on a computer much less surf the net so she could be blissfully unaware of the exploitation..... but I wonder....

Photos like this speak volumes about where ageism is in this country. How about alive, well and free to dwell in cyberspace ..... but an expiration date? Really?

Maybe using a bar code like they do on cottage cheese wouldn't be so offensive, or what about stamping it on a less obvious body part like the bottom of the foot or something..... but right across the forehead? Really?

To be fair, I think if we're going to openly tag people for identity purposes we should do it the American way and include everyone. But instead of using dates we could use adjectives, in which case this ladies forehead would just read "OLD". Then stupid or rude people could be just as easily picked out of a crowd.

Think about it.... fat people, short people, obnoxious people, sweet people, rich people, terrorist people......... the possibilities are endless. What's more, depending on the size of ones forehead, multiple words could even be used, like degenerate gambler, closet homosexual, cancer victim... let's face it (no pun intended) this could be big.... real big!

Since tattoos are all the rage right now this could catch on like wildfire and for once my timing would be impeccable. This is very exciting. I would love to hear your take on the idea, a little collaboration is always healthy and of course credit will be given where credit is due, what say you?

7 comments:

  1. Have you seen a similar photo with an older man's face? If not, I'd guess that this photo is rudely sexist. Well maybe more like misogynistic. Best "used by"...that's really bad. Women expire when they are no longer sexually attractive to men. Grrr.

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  2. Anonymous4/15/2011

    Can you imagine if we all had tags telling who we really are...not the people we present to others, the ones hidden behind the mask, but the real us, the ones only we know....hmmm could be scary...

    interesting thoughts friend.

    ps. My forhead is HUGE I could have an entire novel up there lol

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  3. Lee.. you are so right, but I was reluctant to the sexist route. too much truth in one post, you know..... LOL "used by" .. perfect stream of consciousness for another post. You're good.

    David...you know what they say about the size of a man's forehead, right? LOL Thanks for "being there"..

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  4. Brilliant, brilliant idea.
    I have many labels we could tag people with. Of course, none of them I can post here...but they would be very useful in weeding out the rubbish in our lives.

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  5. Megrázott a látvány,az idős hölgy homlokán!
    Véletlenül találtam ide,de jövök gyakrabban!

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  6. Great post Keri. I hope when we were younger we did not make humorous remarks regarding the elderly. I don't think it's so funny now. The worst part is that some seem to think that once past a certain age you have nothing important to say. Personally, I feel we still have a lot to offer.

    Thanks for your comments on my "knowing your family" blog and your stunt pilot kin. I did happen to read about that and remember thinking to myself that the pilot/husband must feel miserable. That would be tough to live with.

    I also loved your trip down memory lane. I believe I read recently that you are now living in the east. I am sure there are reasons why you no longer live in the south bay but I hope they are good ones. That is a very special and unique area. When growing up we lived in Huntington Park. A real treat for us was a day at Redondo Beach. Those visits fostered my love for the beach and the ocean. We settled in Newport Beach in the early fifties and have been here ever since. In my early surfing days I surfed the Redondo breakwater many times. I loved the picture of you kids on the beach there.

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  7. This is a great post!! I think my head would often say TIRED....but your point is so well taken about the way America feels toward the elderly...the baby boomers are demanding that this be looked at a different way...that is one of the reasons I started the blog I do...and I have been pleased at the response. Keep up the good work!!!

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