Botox for the Young

Recently, my wife and I were watching television when a fast-moving, happy-mooded, bouncy-music sixty second commercial popped up on the screen. Everyone on the commercial was happy, confident, and having a good time. We also noticed that every one of the dozens of people on the commercial were young. Most appeared to be well-under the age of forty with many looking to be in their twenties. What was this cheery commercial advertising? It was a commercial for botox, that cosmetic injection that in this case trumpets the opportunity to “look like you, with fewer lines”, and to “own your look, with fewer lines.” The commercial reveals how much we value and even idolize appearance and youthfulness in our culture. We believe that we are what we look like. Dante listed vanity as one of the seven deadly vices, but in today’s world, vanity is encouraged as a virtue. We must teach our kids that God has said that while man looks on outward appearances, he looks on the heart.