Gen X Surpassing Boomers in Cosmetic Surgery
Posted On December 22, 2011
Although Baby Boomers are known as the “forever young” generation, Generation X has now surpassed them in seeking cosmetic surgery and other procedures that help maintain a youthful appearance. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, Gen Xers (now aged 31-45) accounted for 43% of all aesthetic surgical procedures last year. Baby Boomers accounted for just 28%.
Baby Boomers may be less interested in cosmetic surgery as they retire while Gen Xers who are reaching their career peaks may feel more pressure to “maintain appearances.” Gen Xers are also more likely to have postponed milestones of adulthood like marriage and childbirth but, as they reach their forties, they may feel their bodies are aging faster than their lifestyles. We also noticed a few other signs of “Peter Pan” syndrome among Xers, such as Gen X women holding Sweet 16-style parties for their 40th birthdays (https://cammarston.com/for-gen-x-women-40-is-the-new-sweet-16/ ).
It’s also true that such procedures have become much more commonplace so that Botox and collagen treatments now seem like “everyday” personal maintenance the way that hair coloring or skin cream once did. As Xers reach the stage where their age is starting to show, they are simply availing themselves of common remedies for it. Whatever the motivation, the trend reveals a hidden streak of vanity in a generation that’s always been no nonsense and no frills.