B13: The Anti-Aging Epidemic: How the Continuous “Biomedicalization” of Female Aging through TikTok Incentivizes Cosmeceutical Purchases among Younger Women

Presenter(s)

Ada Sensoy

Abstract or Description

The emergence of TikTok's AI powered "aged" filter in early 2023 intensified paranoia surrounding female aging, driving a surge in cosmetic sales among younger women. This work examines how TikTok continually perpetuates the "biomedicalization" of aging, which refers to its being framed as a medical issue demanding intervention in advertisements and across social media platforms. Drawing from scholarly works by Estes and Binney (1989), who first identified this concept, Kaufman et al. (2004), and Smirnova (2012), this research traces the historical roots of the biomedicalization of skin and analyzes its contemporary manifestations in cosmetic marketing. Smirnova's study, which illustrates the prevalence of medical language in cosmetic magazine advertisements, established the metrics on which this project is based.

Using an adapted set of her measures, this research analyzes a subset of 15 TikTok videos from predominantly White, young female creators claiming to be "board-certifed dermatologists", as well as a flurry of content from skincare influencers looking to profit off this reignited fear. Qualitative and quantitative analyses unveil how these influencers capitalize on medical authority and relatability to promote anti-aging products to their audiences, utilizing extensive use of medical language and the assertion of the filter's accuracy. Furthermore, this paper addresses the ethical implications of perpetuating age-related anxieties among younger audiences, as exemplified by extreme skincare regimens posted by TikTok creators as young as twelve.