This is a great piece. I had never considered what a relatively small segment of history humans have had such easy access to their reflection. If we only look back 5-6 generations, these are people who rarely, if ever, saw themselves. What a different world when it comes to self-image.

In perusing my daughter's TikTok the other day I noticed another phenomenon: girls putting on makeup to make it look like they have a filter on their face. It was wild. I am clearly middle-aged though, because I thought, without exception, they all looked better before the makeup application!

How to fight back against this pressure is a big question. I am trying to demonstrate healthy aging and regard for my appearance for my teens, but I am not even sure what that should be these days. The range of aging options is equally overwhelming.