“We are on red alert when it comes to how we are perceiving ourselves as a species.

“There’s no desire to be an adult. Adulthood is not a goal. It’s not seen as a gift. Something happened culturally: No one is supposed to age past 45 — sartorially, cosmetically, attitudinally. Everybody dresses like a teenager. Everybody dyes their hair. Everybody is concerned about a smooth face…

“I have not mutated myself in any way. Joel [Coen] and I have this conversation a lot. He literally has to stop me physically from saying something to people — to friends who’ve had work. I’m so full of fear and rage about what they’ve done.

“Looking old should be a boast about experiences accrued and insights acquired, a triumphant signal that you are someone who, beneath that white hair, has a card catalog of valuable information.”

[Authentic aging] is a subversive act.”

 

Read the full article in The New York Times (and thanks to lovely Val for the tip!)