IELTS Essay # 19 - Many people try to look younger than they really are. What are the reasons for that? Is it a positive or negative development?

Essay # 19

Many people try to look younger than they really are. What are the reasons for that? Is it a positive or negative development?

Self-esteem and body image are being given a lot of importance nowadays. Almost everyone wants to look youthful and attractive. The main reason for this can be assumed to be the increasing influence of fashion and emphasis on good looks.

Looking younger than the actual age gives a person a great deal of inner satisfaction. People are always concerned about their appearance and how they are perceived by others. Nobody wants to look or be thought of as old. That and the ever growing media and fashion industry always keep setting a trendy society-accepted image of being pretty and good looking, which people keep striving to achieve.

People who've maintained a fit, healthy weight throughout their life will often have a younger looking physique. It always feels good if someone compliments you on how vivacious you look. So wanting to look younger is not an inferior thing. If nothing, it does add to one’s self-confidence and happiness regarding their impression.

However, it would be remiss to not mention how damaging this desire of wanting to look younger can be if it turns into an obsession. Resorting to unnatural methods to look young like botox, skin lifting, and other dermatological methods can do permanent damage to your skin in the long run. Also, even after doing all this, if people do not feel like what they desired they would, they might be driven to depression or other such mental conditions.

In closing I’d like to say that there is nothing wrong in wishing to look younger, but this has to be done in a sane manner. Fixation on this can also cause you to lose who you really are, and be reduced to just vanity but no matter.

(287 words)