The fear of disappearing
Often mistaken for relevance, youth is prized almost everywhere in the world. To look young is assumed to mean confidence, competence, energy — still visible, still in the game. In a culture obsessed with speed, beauty, and productivity, youth offers protection from ageism and social erasure. But the desire to appear young is rarely simple vanity. It grows from the uneasy gap between how alive we feel inside and what society increasingly reflects back to us. While youth can bring affirmation, it can also trap us in a shallow definition of worth, where appearance outweighs purpose, experience, and meaning.
Many people want to look younger to feel more relevant, boosting confidence, perceived competence, and energy, but it's more complex than that; looking younger can bring positive feelings and fewer ageism issues, yet also negative ones, as true relevance comes from purpose, wisdom, and engagement, not just appearance. The desire often stems from societal pressures and a mismatch between internal vitality and external signs of aging, linking youthful looks to vitality and relevance.
Based on the 2005 novel of the same title by Pamela Redmond Satran, Younger is set in New York City, and touches on the insecurity of getting older in a society that worships youth, reminding viewers to live life to the fullest and that it is never too late to start over. This bubbly, frothy drama-comedy comes to us in an instalment of seven seasons. Being such a long running show, it tells us that audiences must relate to and thoroughly enjoy this story about the personal and professional life of freshly divorced 40-year-old single mother Liza Miller. Liza is forced back into the workforce after a contentious split from her gambling ex-husband as she has to find a way to pay for her daughter Caitlin's college tuition. She tries to get back into publishing, only to realise how ageist it had become while she was away. After a kind compliment from a hot tattoo artist at a bar and with the help of her roommate and best friend, she decides to pass herself off as a 26-year-old in order to get an assistant job at a publishing house. Liza quickly realises how hard it is to keep her two lives separate when they often collide.
The 26-year-old-masquerade is unreal and extreme, but it highlights the very real, "casually ageist and quietly cruel" nature of the job market for women over 40. Not putting your age on your CV might get you an interview, but later in the interview, a question about your age will deftly ignore the price of experience you paid for. Instead, it will conveniently and cruelly focus on your age, rendering you unfit to work with the younger generations, the more in-demand Millennials, Gen Xs and Gen Zs. Being ‘delulu’ about getting a new job comes as a slap in your face. Nevertheless, the premise of Younger works because it focuses on a real and relatable desire to "reinvent" oneself.
Darren Star, Younger‘s creator, has worked for decades in television but he is perhaps best known for creating mega block-busters Sex and the City and Emily in Paris, and hence the catchy and addictive vibe of the show. One of the reasons could also be that the Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field serves as a costume consultant on Younger.
After six seasons on TV Land and one on Paramount+ and Hulu, Younger arrived on Netflix, where a completely new audience can explore the charms and comforts of its clever scripts and a cast, mainly comprising Broadway actors. Sutton Foster, who stars in Younger as Liza Miller, is in fact, a musical theatre dynamo.
Foster stars as Liza, the 40-year-old former book editor who is now ready to re-enter the workforce now that her daughter is headed for college. With the encouragement of her sharp-tongued best friend Maggie (Debi Mazar) she cooks her resume to make it look like she’s 26, gives herself a makeover, and applies for a job as an assistant to a marketing director named Diane (Miriam Shor) at a book publisher. After getting the job, she has to keep up the ruse of being 26 to Diane and her new coworker, a 25-year-old associate editor named Kelsey (Hilary Duff), and the cute new guy she just met and eventually starts dating, Josh (Nico Tortorella).
It is impressive how the series exposes the subtle but real differences between women of different generations in a way that feels especially relevant right now. As a 40-year-old hanging around 25-year-olds, Liza is exposed to all of the differences between their generation, their looks, their appearance, fashion and trends they follow, and their attitudes and opinions towards men and society. Because of the whole age ruse, Liza is forced to identify with these younger women, despite the fact that she’s not one of them. It’s an eye-opener to her (and for the audiences too) to see what a difference a 15-year age gap can be, and to discover the fine line between being a young woman and being aged out of society and considered too old for certain things.
Liza’s struggles regarding ageism, career, and personal identity are tackled in a relatable way. It is sad to see how people, especially women are aged out for jobs despite having skills, simply because of an age or a resume gap. The show highlights the subtle, often cruel, ways the industry caters to youth, making Liza's, and the viewers', fight to remain relevant feel valid. Mostly it is the Millennial vs Gen-X/Boomer or GenZ vs Boomer. The relationship between Liza (40) and her best friend/colleague Kelsey (20s) bridges the gap between generations, showing that mentorship and friendship can exist across age barriers.
Liza’s struggle to keep up with slang, social media, and digital trends like "going viral" provides both humour and a relatable look at the fast-paced nature of modern technology in the present day. Foster lends a realistic air to her scenes where she portrays a constant anxiety of keeping a secret (the "lie") and how she reels under the pressure to project a perfect, youthful life in an image-conscious world. But what begins as a lie, slowly and steadily evolves into a story about self-discovery and finding out who you truly are, regardless of age.
While it handles the age-old ageism issue, and may remind you of Miss Sixty (2014), The Substance (2024) and The Last Showgirl (2024), Younger has also been described as a feel-good and binge-worthy comfort TV that you can easily watch without going through major emotional ups and downs. Even with a realistic premise, it sometimes gets unrealistic and a bit silly, but remains highly entertaining.
The message the seven seasons deliver is that presently, the modern workforce is competitive and ageist, maybe a bit more so in media and publishing, fashion and entertainment, and the service industry perhaps, but not so much in the medical field or education where experience only adds value to qualification. Liza's journey shows that experience and talent are valuable, even if society tries to overlook older individuals. The series emphasises that you are only as old as you feel and that you can redefine your life at any stage. Liza finds a new sense of confidence and purpose by taking a risk and stepping out of her comfort zone.
The show celebrates women navigating professional and personal challenges together. At some level, Younger challenges generational stereotypes and not only bridges the gap between generations, but shows that generations can learn from each other. It moves past stereotypes to show that ambition, creativity, and career struggles are universal.
While the premise is built on a lie, the show eventually centres on the necessity of being true to oneself. It explores the consequences of the secret, ultimately focusing on the importance of honesty in relationships and career. The series became a hit and enjoyed a massive, loyal, and enduring audience on streaming platforms, because of its unique combination of escapist fantasy, relatable theme, and strong performances.