Before diving into serious topics about inequalities and oppression that the African American community is faced with, I came across an interesting article literally about the aging process of African Americans; literally meaning the physical appearance of aging seen on the face of African Americans.  Being half black, throughout my life I have been presented with compliments of my unique skin tone and, although at 21 I don't quite yet see it as a good thing, the fact that I look like I'm very young.  This seemingly nonexistent aging process that African Americans face definitely has its advantages, however, I have recently learned that the appearance of African Americans may be closer to the Asian culture than I thought.
   American Society of Plastic Surgeons Member (ASPS), Julius Few, MD, asserts:

African Americans have a slight slant to their eyes, much like Asians do but not as pronounced.  During aging, we found not only do the outer corners of the eyes of African Americans droop lower than Caucasians, they also droop sooner. 

According to a study done on the aging of African Americans, Few and other surgeons determined that this slight slant in the eye shape increased the speed of wrinkles to the area, which in turn creates under-eye bags and other aging side effects.  Especially in a society today that is focused to heavily on beauty and the idea of maintaining ones youth, eyelid cosmetic surgery has increased in the elder African American community.  The only problem with that, however, Few points out:

...one of the biggest concerns African American women have is their tendency to show scars. 

Thankfully modern medicine has managed to remedy this dilemma with new technologies.  With noninvasive surgeries becoming more and more common and accessible, the gap between the youth and the elder African American populations is going to be harder and harder to differentiate.

 

Everyone Ages, But I Do It Differently...

   America is the land of the free and the home of the brave.  It carries with it the motto of the American Dream, which offers anyone who comes here the opportunity to educate themselves in order to create a successful future for themselves and their families.  This sounds like the perfect society, however it is no secret that minority groups don't necessarily reap the same benefits that their white counterparts enjoy.  Throughout history minorities in America, especially African Americans, have been victims to prejudice, poverty and inequalities.  Not much of an American Dream.  But that same community who fought for civil rights, who took part in marches, and watched the television as sit-ins were taking place, that community is now part of another community as well; that community is now part of the elder population.

   Clearly circumstances must have improved if they were able to endure their situations long enough to stay here.  Or were issues so terrible elsewhere that problems in the US seemed petty? Throughout the semester I plan to look at the aging African American community.  I hope to understand the benefits to living in this melting pot of a society, as well as the disadvantages to being a minority group.  Maybe because I come from a diverse background where my father is black and my mother is white, but the changing dynamics that this community has experienced is so interesting to me and so unfamiliar.