Life Extension and its Availability.

Modern people seem to remain youthful and live longer than people in pre-modern societies. Many people seem to adopt the ideals of life extension and youthfulness and thus conform to society’s expectations. As a result, anti-aging products have become imperative in order to combat the physical signs of aging on the body.  Youthfulness is defined in terms of body maintenance and related products and activities form a vital feature of consumer societies. But consumer society is linked to science and medicine. This has created new markets because human bodies can be reconstructed through plastic surgery and science can interfere with genetic structures and move internal organs from one body to another. Indeed, the more we know about bodies, the more we are able to control, intervene, and restructure them . However, not everybody will be able to afford life extension. I argues that public policy, the cultural and social contexts of aging, and the unequal power relationships between people within class society should be considered when attempting to understand the individual and societal components of the aging process. A narrow focus on individual identity ignores the part that social power plays in fostering ageism, social inequality and structured independence.

By Nekpen Obasogie