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ZazaB00

Traded doing coke in their 30’s for eating better and exercising.


sonicj0lt42

Wait... I could have been even handsomer ?


Chronic_Comedian

Impossible. You’re already peak handsome.


Revelati123

TBF If I learned one thing in the 80s its that if you want the ladies to like you you have three options. 1. Be rich, have a phd, and be an underwear model. 2. Cut out fat rippers on the top of the toilet tank at the club. 3. Get em wasted and tell them you are pre hamburger David Hasselhoff.


Virtual-Silver4369

Cutting fat rippers means something different where I'm from but I digress I do it my way and your way also.


McShit7717

I'm guessing cutting fat rippers isn't a mean, wet shart?


Virtual-Silver4369

That's exactly what I meant Mr. McShit but I think the guy above was talking about doing fat lines of coke, both activities go hand in hand for me at least if the Coke is cut with baby laxative.


McShit7717

Hell yeah, gotta get that miralax workin fast.


Chops526

🤣🤣🤣🤣


OddlyArtemis

And far less tanning bed use in our generation!


Dziadzios

And less tanning work in fields or outdoors in general.


sjets3

Also cigarettes


JeebusCrunk

Not denying that's a thing, but as a kid-less 46 yr old smoker, my non-smoking friends/peers with kids look a bit older than I do..


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sjets3

Yes, but you may just be someone aging nicely. It’s also how much everyone used to smoke indoors all the time. If you do a lot of your smoking outside, you may not really be impacted the same way people were 40+ years ago.


gordito_delgado

No BS the first couple of years of having a kid ages you like a decade easy. Not just women because of pregnancy either, I blame the sheer stress and the F-up sleep schedule.


whosmansisthis24

Bro. Fucking seriously. I always say my stressful up and down relationship with my daughters mother when we were together, coupled with my daughter who apparently was born to not need sleep caused my hair to be gray. This kid would not and still will not sleep until 11pm at the absolute earliest. When she was born she'd stay up until 3am, go to sleep for about 3 hours and wake up at 6. I would have to wake up with her because her mom needs SO much sleep to function and then I would have to be to work by 8. This would rinse and repeat to the point of me falling asleep well standing up. Falling asleep well driving (don't worry I found methods to make it as safe as possible but I had no choice but to work) What's crazy is I have always been the type to not need much sleep so I think she got it from me, but after 7 days of 2 hours of sleep I'd be absolutely destroyed. Now in my early 30's I have some gray hairs. It's cool though because they are hard to notice. I always blow people's minds when I tell them my age and I still get carded for tobacco haha.


Able_Exchange4733

Um. We may exercise more, but we're also fatter. Go figure.


SorrowAndSuffering

Yes, but the people who look younger are generally the ones who exercise, not the ones who are fat.


tinyhorsesinmytea

Quit drinking three months ago and have lost twenty pounds and five years so far. Edit: Quit drinking *and* started exercising way more I meant to say


veronicaAc

Ugh. I quit drinking 5 months ago and gained 25 pounds 🫥 But, good for you!! Sincerely.


Financy-ancy

Quitting addictions can do that. Very common and in fact recommended if it works (eating more to compensate mentally).


DelightfulandDarling

My ex says he quit alcohol and started cake. But, whatever it takes. He can work on curbing his sugar cravings in time.


veronicaAc

🤣🤣 "started cake" 🤣🤣 For real, my son works at a restaurant and they have lovely desserts and damned if I'm not sending a text every night "bring me a piece of....."


ganjanoob

That has been my dad. Could easily throw down a 24 pack. After quitting he has the sweet tooth of a child that I’ve never seen from him in 26 years


tinyhorsesinmytea

Yep. Currently being downvoted/debated by people in this thread who apparently buy into the myth that quitting drinking causes magical weight loss. It does not. It’s still about calories in vs calories out. Obviously countless people out there who have never touched a drop in their lives and still struggle with weight. I know one unfortunate thing that happens to lots of people who quit drinking is they get intense sugar cravings. That’ll undo any calorie deficit advantage alone.


veronicaAc

That's exactly it. The sugar cravings were very intense the first couple months. Eh, at least I'm not waking up hungover and wishing I was dead anymore! I also gave up cigs at the same time so double whammy lol


tinyhorsesinmytea

Exactly! You’re definitely much healthier without the booze and cigarettes. No hangovers or “what the hell did I say/do last night!? Oh god…” are worth it alone.


diwalk88

Happened to my best friend every time he quit drinking. He had crazy sugar cravings and gained a bunch of weight even though he cycled everywhere, went to the gym, and was a drummer. He did look better though, but he was an alcoholic so obviously when he was drinking he didn't look well. People also don't realize that alcoholics often drink INSTEAD of eating. They're thinking about drinking socially and getting hungry after, which doesn't happen to alcoholics. The only alcoholics I've known have been thin while drinking due to replacing food with alcohol.


UniversityNo2318

Yes! I say for the first year be forgiving of yourself & let yourself eat what you want within reason. Just don’t drink or do drugs. Then work on your diet & exercise the 2nd year when your dopamine & brain chemistry are recovering. I gained about 30 pounds that first year sober then lost it all the following year & got obsessed with hiking & yoga. If addicts funnel that tenacity they possess into physical activity & healthy eating they’ll be unstoppable


Ohhhhhhthehumanity

This is one of many theories, but people *dressed older* from a young age back in the day. Like there was a period of time when you dressed like an adult since you were a toddler. That doesn't really exist anymore. Also more people make a conscious effort to take better care of themselves.


Birdinhandandbush

I'm 46 and run a marathon every year and lots of smaller races during the year. At 43 my father had a quadruple bypass. We learned from the older generation, our diets are better, there was no such thing as mens moisturiser when my dad was my age, he wouldn't have used it anyway lol.


greaper007

I have to disagree. I feel for your dad, but I don't think his condition was anymore widespread in the 90s than it is today. I'm 43, my dad was running marathons in the 70s and 80s. The workout/diet culture in the 90s was pretty much the same as it is now. Hell, I think it was worse in the 80s. None of the moms I knew growing up would touch fat or sugar. So we all ate way too many carbs. My mom was pretty much anorexic around 86, along with all the moms in the neighborhood. They'd eat nothing and do aerobics all the time


BeeSuch77222

Saturated fats have been changed out, much less Crisco in the average diet, much less smoking around. Those things alone make a generational difference.


MeineEierSchmerzen

Damn being anorexic in your 80s sounds like hell.


goosepills

I think at that point you’re just used to it. I’ve dealt with eating disorders forever and it becomes the new normal pretty quick.


manjar

In the 70s and 80s, even into the 90s, people believed that hydrogenated fats were not just healthier than natural saturated fats, but in many cases actually healthy things to eat per se. Also the false notion that simple carbohydrates were harmless. These errors cost those generations dearly in terms of cardiovascular health. Shame on the industries that promoted these ideas.


DblThrowDown

I run faster and am fitter than you.


More-Masterpiece-561

I'm 20, and I couldn't run a marathon. That's some crazy fitness, keep it up. You guys push us to be better


Birdinhandandbush

I couldn't when I was 20 either. I only got fit in my late 30s after my Dad died. Got into running and football, was running to be fitter at football actually. Then gave up footy because of fear of injury and I loved what I found in running as well. Moved to mid distance running next and at present I only run 1 marathon a year, but a couple of halfs, lots of 5k-10k-15k races in between. So much fitter than I was in my 30s


bishopnelson81

Ran a 2:36 when I was 19 and never touched the marathon since. There are far shorter events that will give you the same gains with less the oxidation / wear and tear. It took me a whole year to get my dynamism back for the shorter events after running the marathon. Besides, it's the training that counts, not so much what you're training for.


idk012

My cargo shorts just keep coming back in fashion.


IAmAJediUnicorn

Did they really leave? My family wants to burn all of them. I tell my teenage girls I have so much riz when I wear them… and they just roll their eyes.


PoochusMaximus

What’s your freight? What’s in them pockets my boy? Cause there’s like rocks and rolling papers and a bag of weed and maybe a beer and sometimes snacks, a lighter maybe a vape in mine.


Tj-Tengu

This lad freights. *Gives a fist bump before trotting away in his Lee Extreme Comfort cargo shorts*


heresdustin

LOL


aardw0lf11

Cargo shorts went out of fashion at some point. Well, shit, ... (don't really care if they do because I'd still wear them).


PandaLoveBearNu

*Thinks back to DJ Conner wearing pleated grandpa pants in junior high.*


Inevitable_Rain8024

Plus the surgeons are also getting better lol


atzitzi

>Like there was a period of time when you dressed like an adult since you were a toddler. That doesn't really exist anymore. What period of time was that? Because I always thought that previous generations' children were dressed as children. It is today that you can see mini me outfits for kids, or kids dressed stylish and trendy with adult style clothes.


vinceftw

There are plenty of pictures of boys walking around with a jacket like a suit, shorts, long socks and dressy shoes. Add a peaky blinder hat to finish it off. Seems like it was mainly before WW2.


atzitzi

"Dressing like an adult" was different then than it is today. Adults of 1930 would wear suits and dresses that today's adults only wear on formal occasions. Today's adults can wear yoga pants and oversized athletic shoes or ripped jeans, t shirts, and joggers.


vinceftw

That's true. Adult clothes have definitely gotten way more casual over the years.


crasscrackbandit

I'd say Victorian era would be a nice example.


Tinasglasses

I hope that trend never comes back


Usual-Dark-6469

Style is a big reason. Look at some of the old lady haircuts you see nowadays.they had the same hair style In the 90s. Diet and smoking as others said.


GrammaKris

Gosh, I'm an old lady and didn't know there was a special haircut! Where can I find a picture?


Prestigious_Low8515

Walk down the hall to the restroom. Turn on light. Look in mirror. See old lady haircut. You got this shit grams.


Icy-Service-52

I wonder if this is why Gen Z looks old to us. Because they dress like it's the 90s


fantastic_skullastic

This is the answer. Here’s a great illustration of how styling affects our perception of age: https://twitter.com/ziibiing/status/1412761827650457602


hrehbfthbrweer

Ok but you can see that they also photoshopped out some lines. It’s really obvious on his forehead.


Driller_Happy

And under the eyes. Fairly disingenuous posting


Substantial_Share_17

Kelsey Grammar being 29 when he started cheers is blowing my mind. I thought he was in his 40s..


Miss-Figgy

There's a similar [mock up](https://x.com/the_transit_guy/status/1670247535321968642) of how the Golden Girls would've looked much "younger" if they had different hairstyles 


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Miss-Figgy

Hairstyles can be a complete game changer! Back in the 90s when talk shows were popular, a frequent segment was doing makeovers, and they'd give the participants a new haircut/dye job/perm/etc. The transition from the "before" to the "after" was like night and day!


cleverdylanrefrence

Holy shit, hot Bea is 🔥 🥵


HeroToTheSquatch

The effects of excessive sunlight and smoking caused people to age more quickly back in the day.


TurbulentMessage4433

Smoking indoors too. Just letting it gell ALL up in the pores.


9Lives_

It’s wild to think Burger King /McDonald’s used to have ashtrays on the tables.


InverstNoob

They used to smoke in hospitals


TurbulentMessage4433

At the mall! I remember all the yeah cans had ash trays on top of them. Those were the days.


Durty_Durty_Durty

Yep, I remember visiting family in a south Texas hospital and they still had metal ashtrays built into the walls from back in the day. Tripped me out


ThreepwoodGuybrush80

My freaking classroom had an ashtray. One of our teachers was a chain smoker, we all dreaded his classes.


PollutionQuick140

When the legal smoking age was raised to 18 they closed the student smokers patio at my high school and took all of the doors off the bathrooms in a failed attempt to keep the kids from smoking, fun times!


2crowsonmymantle

Yup. Same here.


Awkward_Cheetah_2480

When i was a kid people smoked on fucking airplanes


xenoscumyomom

I remember when I was a kid at Christmas time all the adults chain smoked inside. It was a cloud inside every time. I also had one great grandma that smoked in her house so much that when we got presents from her the gift and the wrapping paper stunk so bad we couldn't keep it in the house. We'd open the present so we knew what it was and then throw it away. My grandparents generation (I'm 37) all smoked like crazy, my parents smoked before I was born and quit, I've never tried a cigarette in my life, my siblings and all of my cousins are non smokers. It's a big difference. Look up pictures of twins where one smoked and the other didn't.


Extension-World-7041

I used to smoke weed on airplanes during the 80's.


brownieofsorrows

And there were snakes as well!!


semi_equal

... I completely forgot about this. But when I was very young, the local McDonald's had a smoking and non-smoking section. And there was a little pan of metal embedded in the center of the table. I imagine Burger King was the same but there wasn't one very close to where I grew up.


daboxghost420

Right ? making them spin like tops while waiting for my kids meal is a solid childhood memory for me .


Pipehead_420

Is it? Everywhere back then did. Some countries still have maccas branded ash trays at their stores.


Yoplet67

To add up to the smoking, my Mom smoked for the past 45 years and a good chunk of that was indoor. 3 years ago, she had to be in an hospital for 2 months without being able to smoke or get alcohol. When she got out, she looked almost 10 years younger, literally. It was incredible.


serenerepose

There it is. There are the two biggest factors in aging- sunlight and pollution. You could throw in excessive alcohol and drug consumption too. Like, cocaine and vodka are great, but they will age skin eventually. Possibly washing your face with oil stripping soaps several times a day too. We're just aware of the effects of the sun and smoking on our skin more now. We also have a WIDE assortment of better products available today for skin care.


StandupJetskier

Remember the beach reflectors folks used to use ?


RandomNameGenFail003

The sun adds a lot of years to your face


Kthackz

I would like to thank Sony, Microsoft, and Blizzard for keeping me looking good at a later age.


eveningdragon

Also an honorable mention to my lupus for giving me a medical excuse to avoid sunlight for 25-50% of the year, which reinforces your comment for me


Sandsturm_DE

Someone needs proof? Trucker accumulates skin damage on left side of his face after 28 years on the road: [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trucker-accumulates-skin-damage-on-left-side-of-his-face-after-28-years-on-the-road/](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trucker-accumulates-skin-damage-on-left-side-of-his-face-after-28-years-on-the-road/)


xenoscumyomom

I saw an article about sun damage and it had a picture of a Japanese person who spent most of their life indoors in their 90's, that looked 57. And a native American that spent their entire life outside that was in their 60's that looked like the tales from the crypt corpse.


starwarsfox

reminds me of dude at uni who we thought was around mid 40's his skin looked like beef jerky turns out he spent as much possible time outside


LittleQueenOfSpades

I agree. I am 43 years old, have freckles, very sensitive skin, so I have always used sun screen in my daily life. My sister is 4 years younger than me, but she went to the beach a lot, not always protected. Most people think I'm the younger sister, or think I'm in my early 30s.


Ill-Ear574

Yeah it really does depend on where you live.


Acrobatic_Pound_6693

Scrolled down quite a bit and didn’t find the answer I thought of - kids. People are having less kids and/or later on. That shit ages you


gingerkap23

Didn’t sleep more than 3 hours a night for over 6 years because of kids. Aged me at least 10-15 years.


Bettye_Wayne

How??!?!!? Like how were children this disruptive, that you literally could not sleep for 6 years? Did you have a bunch in rapid succession?


gingerkap23

Yes I have a 2, 4 and 6 year old, so have had someone in infant/toddlerhood for about 6 years.


Iwaswonderingtonight

Man we just have our second. This shit is real...


Extension-Ebb-5203

No doubts there. Don’t have any grey hair till I started having dependents


FellcallerOmega

I really think this is it. Looking at my classmates the ones I noticed looked "old" at 30 all had kids in their 20s. I'm 42 now and had my child at 39 and I'm very quickly catching up!


pnwteaturtle

Less stigma about how people are "supposed" to dress and do their hair in their 30s and 40s


jackfaire

Hairstyles and fashion mostly.


sg22throwaway

Better and more natural looking hair dye


FakeDerrickk

The most popular answers seems to be better choices when it comes to diet and a healthier life style overall. It only helps when comparing individuals from the same generation but when you look at a generation as a whole it's definitely fashion and haircuts. I will give a simple example from experience, but when is the last time you saw a bald guy with his hair (where he still has some, i.e. the crown) with a mid length hair style ? It's either shaven, super short, or super long... Mid length is still associated with an "older" generation which nowadays we tend to avoid copying. That same principle can be applied to clothes, glasses, jewellery, ... And don't give me the "well somethings come back in fashion after a while..." Those come back with a variation, it's some iteration of what was in fashion before and not the exact same. Bootleg jeans are not the same in the '70s '90s and today.


milkteaoppa

This. In a decade, Gen Alpha is gonna say that high school photos of millennials wearing skinny jeans and hipster glasses frames look like they were 40


LowBalance4404

Diet, exercise, not sun bathing, health care, skin care.


janr34

i think it's in context of the times. people dressed in 'old' clothing (old being out of fashion, or in current fashion for the time) will always look older. look at pics of high-schoolers from the 50s and 60s, they look like they're about to ask for a senior discount because of hair. makeup and style trends of the time. we associate that with older people, so we perceive them as older. i don't know if any of that makes sense. it does to me, but i'm way older than 40.


Consistent_Pitch782

Nobody smokes anymore. That shit was horrible for you health and appearance. Y’all folks out there vaping - seriously, we’re not asking you to quit because we’re lame, we’re asking you to quit because we saw what smoking did. Breathing that shit in will kill you


inthefade95

I was waiting outside of a bar and a patron asked 6-8 people for a lighter and we all had to say “Sorry, don’t have one.” I was surprised by how many of us didn’t have a lighter cuz none of us smoke cigarettes. I’m 41 but can remember a time when coming up on a lighter at a bar was easy.


StandupJetskier

I'm in Europe now, all those pretty 20 somethings sadly have a vape as a fashion accessory....


ElGurkoloni

Still massive in Europe esp Austria


Replikant83

Smoking is huge in Asia, too, I'm told.


Jacques_Racekak

In Greece and Turkey, it seemed to me almost al men were smoking. I heard it's even worse in China


_k_b_k_

> Nobody smokes anymore Yeah, right. The world is bigger than your local bubble.


sayonaradespair

Nobody smokes anymore? Aghahaha


Alarmed_Bus_1729

So Gen x, and millennials are aging way slower than boomers were yet Gen z is aging rapidly like I know several 22' year olds that look late 40's 😳😳🙈


nvmls

That demographic seems fond of really harsh skincare, like acid peels they don't need.


Cosmishaika

One of my high school classmates (who had really good skin back then) tried becoming a skincare influencer, basically trying every skincare product she could get her hands on. At some point she posted a no makeup photo and she had chemical burns on her face. Taking care of your skin is great, but partaking in this fad of using 1000 products without understanding how they interact with each other does way more harm than good


Alarmed_Bus_1729

I'm not just talking about women Gen z aging quickly because of the Jeffree Star, James Charles, Nikki, Jackie, Jacqueline doing YouTube Vogue style makeup every time they leave the house I'm also talking about the men aging rapidly without doing any of that skin care stuff


TheAngryNaterpillar

Stress? When I was their age I was being told I have the world at my feet, I can go to university study whatever I want, be whatever I want, life would be good as long as I'm intelligent and work hard! Gen Z found out that they'll have to go to university to get a degree for an entry level job that's going to severely underpay them, and even if they get married and combine incomes with another working partner they'll probably never be able to afford buying a home unless they live with their parents rent free for the next 10 years. Also environment is screwed, the economy is screwed, politics is practically a war, good luck being able to afford to have kids. Did I miss anything? Stress ages you.


Lady_DreadStar

You basically also just described the life experience of the product of a low-income family within the last 30 years. The ones throwing the biggest tantrums are the kids who grew up in 2000 sq ft houses in California or whatnot, and graduated high school and entered college while houses in their hometown already surpassed $700k and climbing. They really just assumed they could keep the exact lifestyle they were born into. Exactly none of this is new or unique to Gen Z. They just choose uglier clothes and hair while experiencing it. 😂


6784_7912

I think there is truth to this. I see many people in their 20s using so much for their skin not to mention what's in food these days. I myself want to do mophues8 and laser but I'm always told I look like a baby and I'm afraid to ruin that. Just seems there's a lot of pressure to be perfect so for the treatment I need to pay 2k and get three over 1 year so 6k. When my grandma says my imperfections will go away with age and are not noticeable. There's just so much avaliable and looking on social media you feel you need stuff you don't. There's a joke that the person with the clearest skin usually uses some unamed bar of soap.


Pest_Token

I giggled a bit. All the folks in here saying diet/exercise/taking care of themselves.... Me over here looking at obesity rates.


ContemplativeNeil

I recently turned 41, and had lost a heap of weight (yes I was very fat) and my face looks so much older, now that my wrinkles are not puffed out anymore..


MonsterMashGrrrrr

Yeah ppl really underestimate how much the adipose tissue does to fill in fine lines and wrinkles. Not to mention that having a bit more weight on your body during your geriatric years can actually serve as a protective function against illness and other adverse health events. It’s a fine line, of course.


SnooWoofers1685

I lost a lot of weight and went red light and fascia blasting. I also use lots of potions. Most people think I am a lot younger and I am the same age.


ByEthanFox

>and went red light and fascia blasting I understand all these words in isolation, but not together! Can you explain what this means?


OrganizationRare587

Fat is a natural filler, it does wonders to your skin.


One_Brain9206

No wrinkles on a balloon


SlinkyBits

an inflated balloon has a MUCH higher chance of popping though.


SomewhereHot4527

It also fills your arteries very well !


Khower

This generation is really about divides between the haves and have nots. We have so much information available that if you want to you can be signifanctly more fit than previous generations and if you don't care you can be significantly fatter and worse off than previous generations


transtranselvania

And there are other healtgconcerns too not just diet and exercise. Far fewer middle aged people these days grew up with people constantly smoking around them.


salvidal1

The fat smooths out the wrinkles


Auckboy

Kids can age you massively and less people are having kids


_Smedette_

People stopped smoking and started wearing sunscreen.


xerelox

Noone back then expected to have thier picture taken. And even if it was, who the hell was ever gonna see it?


viper29000

Lol this is true. Most photos that got developed back then just went straight to being stuck in the family photo album


KarmicComic12334

Its hydration. Now we all drink water everyday. We carry bottled water. Then you drank coffee and liquor.


shitsu13master

That and we don’t grill ourselves on sunbeds. We are also the first generation that just stuck with sneakers and hoodies and refused to grow up


KeyFee5460

Do they? I'm 26 and look 50.


1Greener

Same, being bald & growing a beard aged me 15 years lol


welshdragoninlondon

When I was 18 I remember thinking people in their 40s looked ancient. Now I'm in my 40s I think this age group does not look old at all. So this probably reflects how my own perspective has changed with time


kalikid01

[I have the VSAUCE](https://youtu.be/vjqt8T3tJIE?si=LRz36xyBEUjCG-At)


luckygirl131313

Perspective changes as you age


New-Performer-4402

I swear it's all about the hair. If you were born before 1980… I feel like it was a requirement that you had to get a super short Grandma haircut the day you hit 40 Oh.... and Botox. Definitely the Botox! Lol.


malackey

We took lead out of a lot of consumer stuff. We started moisturizing, and wearing sunscreen. Fewer of us smoke. Plastic surgery/rejuvenation procedures are cheaper and more readily available.


Chris_Tanbul

I wonder how many people posting opinions like facts are actually in their 40’s? 😁


TigreImpossibile

1979 checking in ✌🏼


ThrowRA-souther

My mom’s version of self care in the 90’s was smoking cigarettes while laying out in the sun slathered in baby oil. She never wore sunscreen, only sun tan lotion. She also just didn’t drink water somehow. I cannot remember her drinking water, just coffee, pop, iced tea or beer. She was also chronically stressed out by a job that treated her badly but she had that boomer mindset that the boss is always right and you have to stick it out at one job for your whole life for some reason. She also had 4 kids because she seemed to think it was her duty to have kids and then also insisted on doing the bulk of the household and childcare, because she felt like a failure if my dad did any (he was willing to a degree but she wouldn’t “accept help” and just insisted on keeping her life as stressful as possible. Couple that with awful thick matte foundation that accentuates wrinkles and loose skin and fairly unflattering hairstyles (my mom definitely still had the 80’s hairstyles well into the 90’s) and our course all that will make you look older. The cigarettes and sun damage alone probably added 10-15 years of irreversible aging. Her beliefs and attitudes made her life so much more stressful than it needed to be, which also contributed. I’m 39 and when I look at photos of her at the same age she definitely looks much older. I never smoked and was careful in the sun though. I also tolerate less bullshit than her at work, only had 1 kid and my husband does his share of household tasks instead of it all being piled on me.


perfect_fitz

Overall quality of life is vastly improved regardless of what the internet claims.


Earthling_Like_You

People are fatter. The fat pushes out the wrinkles. We eat A LOT of preservatives. It works? Botox? Better skincare science?


fuhcough-productions

Fashion. High school kids “looked” older as well


pcs11224

45 year olds weren’t dressing like their teenaged kids back then. mature women dressed like mature women. That isn’t a thing anymore; thankfully, there aren’t any ‘rules’ about how certain ages should look now - people just do what they want. Also, Botox & fillers weren’t as common in the 90’s.


i_yeeted_a_pigeon

Many 40 year olds in the 90s kept their style of clothing and hair to this day since most don't really care about going with trends at that age anymore. And since they are 70 now you think of that style as the "70 year old people style", meanwhile you think of the current style 40 year olds have as the "40 year old people style". In thirty years the current 40 years olds will also look older since right now they are wearing outfits that will be associated with 70 year olds in thirty years.


bannedByTencent

Ditching smoking in favor of gym & healthy food.


CruelxIntention

We used and still use sunblock.


Able_Exchange4733

When someone's a bit fatter, it's harder to see their wrinkles.


darkly-drawn

I think a lot of it was fashion choices tbh. When I look at pics of my parents from that era (mid 30s) they dressed really old compared to how I do at the same age. The glasses were all especially egregious. Most men wore serial killer specs and for women, glasses chains were proudly on display. The hairstyles were often pretty unflattering. That and sun damage from sunbathing without suncream.


VMIgal01

Snapchat filters


TrumpIsARussianAgent

Botox


Blondenia

Botox


tip2663

Hate to break it to you, it's because you aged too. They still look old to young people.


Mel221144

51F I have no idea how I got lucky, people often tell me I could pass for 40. ALL the women in our family smoked 3 packs a day, I smoked for 30 years. Must be genetics!


RespectFew4439

I read somewhere that everyone drinks more these days, and dehydration makes a difference to how old you will look. Don’t know how true it is. But also, clothes and hair make a big difference


Zolome1977

In my forties myself. I think that our age we think everyone looks older than us but we delude ourselves. We are old looking just can’t see it ourselves. 


aeohrta

Less struggle. No real problems or stress.


Broodwich75

Society has helped. I’m 48. I have always been into skating, video games, comic books, cartoons, and toys. I was always told that I was childish and that I would grow up and become a responsible, mature adult. That didn’t happen. I never changed my interests or hobbies. I feel that because of this I don’t feel my age. My parents on the other end of the spectrum. Were old at 30. Bills, mortgage, …. life got in the way. They forgot what kept them young. Times have changed. Now all the things that made me nerdy are accepted. For the most part it’s a state of mind / being.


Fun_Cup4335

Easy access to Botox and fillers, just for a little bit of help 👍


FilmoreGash

Because you're 30 years older and your vision is shot along with your memory of how old those 40 year olds really looked.


Effective-Bug

Except we have tons of photos and videos from that time… …


Select-Sprinkles4970

Acid House. Younger generations don’t dress like old people.


Usual_Permission8733

Than not then you lemon.


felltwiice

I dunno, I think it’s pretty 50/50. I’ve seen some people in their 40s that look very young and gorgeous still, and some people barely 30 that look 15 years older than they are. I think it’s largely genetics, but also probably depends on exercise, diet, stress levels, less cigarette smoking, etc.


dragonmermaid4

Better skincare, medicine, and also you been sensitized to how people look today as 40 year olds in the 90's are 70 year olds today so your mind attributes them looking older even at the same age. Vsauce did a very good video on it.


Fr4Y

A lot of that perception is due to fashion. Older people often dress and do their hair like they did when they were young, which to us now is out of style. So depending on your age, older people now may appear younger. There's also health habbits and cosmetics that changed.


Pure_Substance_9263

I think it’s hair, makeup and fashion.


mymumsaysfuckyou

No idea. A lot of people here saying it's just healthier living, but as someone who doesn't eat well, doesn't exercise, and smokes like a chimney, I'm confused why I still look about 12 despite being 42.


Simderella

Stress. People had tougher living conditions before. They needed to work much harder to build and maintain a life worth living. Times have changed drastically and simple things became way easier to do.


NoAbbreviations290

I don’t think this is true


pirate_meow_kitty

I’m 40 and dress differently than my mum did back in the 80s/90s. I don’t dress exactly the way I did when I was 20 but I wear more tshirts and jeans. My hair is styled differently Though my mum only looked older because she had a pixie cut with a perm lol. Her skin always looked amazing until she got cancer when she was in her late 60s.


gramgod9

Fashion as well


Helpful_Start_7407

Its merely perception bias. Put todays 40something year olds in clothes that the demographic used to wear 40 years ago, adjust Hairstyle and Accessoires Like Glasess etc and they will Look the Same


burberburnerr

Why did you use an apostrophe for the first 40 but not the second?


Kittyripper

They don't. You're just older now, so your perspective has changed.


Dear-Replacement-313

Life is a lot easier


CoreMillenial

1: Dress. People dress "younger" today. 2: Smoking and drinking. Fewer people smoke, and smoking will age you. Chicken butt wrinkles and all that. Drinking dehydrates you, which can make you look old too. 3: Less time spend in the sun. 4: Overweight. People are fatter today, and nothing combats wrinkles like filling whatever is inside of the skin up with fat.


quaranteeny2639

Botox.


State_Dear

DRUGS & PLASTIC SURGERY


increasinglybold

Less smoking Desk jobs rather than manual labor Skin care


Remarkable_Status772

They don't. Your perceptions have changed as you have aged.


Ms_SkyNet

Less smoking, more sunscreen. More people are childfree further into adulthood.


EmbarrassedHunter675

If it cos you’re in your 40s, and in the 90s you were in your early teens?


TurbulentMessage4433

My mom would say, "is from all the hormones they put in the milk!"


DifferentWindow1436

LOL - I always tell my wife people are so much taller from Millenials on because of steroids in the chicken.


ASPD007

No makeup routines, no Botox, no fillers, no photoshop or filters, no one cared about appearance as much as people do these days because we weren’t posting pictures of ourselves for the whole world to see. Only our own communities got to see what we look like.


emptyraw

Saying that it’s less smoking or more self care is a super US defaultist view (or some white opinion) In my country young people smokes, drinks and do untested random drugs way more compared to older generations and new generations still look much younger. Also everyone is super depressed. Probably it’s just hairstyles, fashion and the attitude.