Marcel Danesi - Media Theorist

 Marcel Danesi argues that the media and advertising has made youth the dominant culture of western society. By this he means that the media has made youth “sacred” and everyone wants to be young forever. An example of this is the skincare range “Youth Code” Serum” by L'Oreal -

There are constantly adverts on the TV and in magazines which claim to have a new kind of cream that will reduce signs of aging and wrinkles. The L’Oreal website has five different kinds of pages advertised, all advertising different kinds of ways to “cheat” aging.  These examples show how important youth has become to the older generations and skin care companies have picked up on this need to remain younger which was –arguably- created by the media.

 Film also puts emphasis on youth; in many films it is common to see young teenagers having a lot of fun whilst the adults or parents are going through a bad time in their lives, for example in “Freaky Friday” when the daughter is in the mother’s body, she vamps up her life giving her a makeover and portraying the mother to have let herself loose where as the mother in the daughter’s body is concentrating on school work and avoiding boys. Another view that is portrayed through some films is the older women feeling threatened by a younger “better looking” woman, for example in “Sex and the City 2”, Charlotte is worried that her husband is going to cheat on the new Nanny who is far younger and Charlotte is worried that her youth makes her more attractive.