[Senior Trend] "Your Heart Looks Young Too"... Seniors Living Youthfully

It happened not long ago. A Canadian acquaintance who loves K-dramas came to visit Korea. During a meeting before his departure, there was an impressive part of our conversation. He said, “I knew Korea was an aging country, but I hardly saw any elderly people with gray hair wherever I went.” This reminded me of my time studying language in Quebec, where many seniors had wrinkles and gray hair. Looking around the caf? during our conversation, there were many seniors present, but it was hard to tell just by appearance whether they were in their 50s or 60s. I also recalled the shampoo developed by a domestic team that naturally dyed gray hair darker just by washing, which caused a craze and sold out among seniors. Compared to the West, East Asians tend to look younger as they age, and I realized anew that “Korean seniors take care of their appearance and fashion sense just as well as young people.”

The Seoul National University Consumer Trend Analysis Center, famous for the ‘Trend Korea’ series, identified ‘Neverland Syndrome’ as one of the trends to watch in 2023. It is divided into three types: regression to childhood, refusal to age, and playing like a child. According to the book, “the infantilization of our society is not just a matter of some tastes but has become the ‘way of thinking’ and even the ‘lifestyle’ of the entire society.” Instead of the negative term ‘Peter Pan Syndrome,’ which highlights escapism by reminiscing about the past, they newly proposed the value-neutral term ‘Neverland Syndrome’ to describe the pursuit of a youthful life. ‘Neverland’ is a fictional place where Peter Pan and his friends live forever as children. Whereas in the past, mature adult appearances were expected according to age groups, nowadays living younger than one’s age is regarded as a virtue.

Indeed, compliments like “You look young for your age,” “You live younger than your age,” or “You think beyond your years” are common. As life expectancy increases, the youth phase in the life cycle naturally extends, and lifestyles diversify. Therefore, the typical concept of ‘social age’?such as “at this age, one should be married, have children, or be retired”?is fading. More people are saying they do not want to change, whether it is maturity, growth, or experience. Accordingly, hobbies and tastes that allow self-expression or fun have become more important, and this phenomenon is reflected in actual consumption.

The ‘kidult’ phenomenon (adults who have affection for or tastes in children’s items) is a representative example. People revisit animations they watched as children, and characters popular at that time have returned. ‘Slam Dunk,’ which recorded explosive viewer numbers, and the ‘Princess Set,’ which caused a sell-out frenzy on social media, attracted participation from young to middle-aged groups alike. In busy daily life, people revive joyful childhood memories or enjoy sharing childish things. In the U.S., the Toy Association established an ‘Adult Toy of the Year’ category in 2022 and selected a block toy company. LEGO launched special marketing campaigns welcoming adults. The UK’s Toy World Magazine reported that sales of Blue Label Bandai robots and figures grew 500% over the past five years, and in Japan, adults enjoy assembling Gundam plastic model robots.

A prime example of refusal to age is Tom Cruise in the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick.’ Born in 1962, his character remains an active colonel even though his classmates have become Pacific Fleet commanders. While it is common to move from fieldwork to management with age, he wants to stay on the front lines. He sets his own world and lives with conviction. Meanwhile, concerts by Na Hoon-a and Cho Yong-pil, both well into their 70s, remain hugely popular. The 50-60 age group, who were teenage fans back then, proudly display the spirit of the original oppa (older brother) fandom. Due to senior fandom, specialized fandom academies have even emerged. The passionate senior fans of trot singers Lim Young-woong and Song Ga-in are also known for competing in good deeds such as donations and volunteering. When the ‘face’ and ‘age’ set by Korean space and culture are slightly lifted, seniors’ hearts remain young.

Age-related stereotypes are also frequently challenged in friendships and leisure activities. Among middle-aged people, the new term ‘AUDI’ (Ajumma’s Friendship Until Death) is popular. Even in long-standing relationships, they respect each other’s lives, warmly comfort and encourage each other when meeting after a long time, and confirm their friendship like in school days by matching socks or friendship rings. There is also a trend to break away from ‘strict, solemn, serious’ attitudes and adopt a cheerful comic-like filter. Golf is one of the favorite sports among seniors, but its strict rules can make it hard to enjoy at first. For ‘golini’ (a blend of golf and children), ‘cheerful golf’ has emerged, where players do not worry about scores or rules and simply enjoy playing comfortably with companions. In the U.S., ‘adult summer camps’ have been held, where a rule forbids talking about one’s job for 24 hours, allowing people to become friends and play joyfully like childhood. Participants ranging from their 20s to 70s say it is a magical experience to make friends.

As life expectancy lengthens, the average age rises. If a lifetime is 100 years, 50 is just noon, and people now live an additional 200,000 to 300,000 hours. Accordingly, the desire to know oneself better has increased. Despite the low birthrate era, parenting coaching programs like ‘My Precious Child’ remain popular for the same reason. Adults who want to understand their childhood or senior parents who cannot understand their grown children watch parenting coaching programs and reflect. As adult stereotypes fade, no one can stop learning. In this ‘age of not wanting to grow old,’ where is the sustainable Neverland? The positive point is that while previous generations wanted to inherit everything and be treated as adults, today’s seniors focus on themselves. They seek a life of enjoyment and strive to maintain youthful energy by taking care of themselves.

Lee Boram, CEO of Third Age

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.