I have never really been interested in any sort of sport or sporting event. Intermittently interest would only spark during a highly commercialised sporting championship that seems somehow socially inescapable, or events that have an entertainment element attached, like the FIFA World Cup or the Super Bowl.
For the entire week my Facebook timeline has been flooded with pictures and memes of Jennifer Lopez’s halftime performance at the Super Bowl LIV and her ability to do such at the age of 50. The Latina pop star wore a Versace catsuit that barely covered anything. Her body looked extremely defined and toned. By commercialized beauty standards she is what many millennials would refer to as ‘goals’ and an image which most should be embodying.
At 30 years old and relatively content with my life and image, I still found myself wondering and worrying what an additional 20 years would look like on me. Would I be happy? Would I still feel desirable? It is human nature for anyone to wonder, especially since we live in a society that somehow manages to always force women into zeroing in on their appearance, as opposed to men.
It is important to remember that a celebrity like Jennifer Lopez’s image benefits from her vast disposable income, access to the best nutritionists, healthcare and not to mention genes. It is also good to note that her image is part the package she sells as a star. Movie stars and singers sell desirability along with their artistic skill it is part of the package that makes them appealing. So, it would be unfair to compare us to her, even though age is factored in.
Besides acknowledging that the realities vary, we must also be conscious enough to hold men up to the same standard we do for women. Most men view sports and feel relatively okay about their bodies, despite not having the same physique or physical desirability as the athletes or performers on the field. If negative feelings linger after a game, they would likely be well buried under the emotions most men tend not to show.
When we consider the way celebrities, we should appreciate and admire the fact that to look that good requires a considerable amount of time, money, help and effort. In its own way, looking good is a sort of an extreme sport for women who have their hands full and that is okay.
We should also consider saying people look good for their circumstances as opposed to their age because in reality, the former is the truth.
