Paige Young

Honey, You’re Getting Older

Society has glorified youth for centuries while rarely acknowledging the privilege of aging. Many people begin to feel that their time has passed once they reach their thirties, leaving those beyond that age to grapple with feelings of obsolescence. We are sold countless products designed to slow or reverse the aging process, all while being subtly told that aging is something to fix.

Honey, You’re Getting Older is a work of sarcasm that invites viewers to look in the mirror—literally and metaphorically. Captured on 35mm color film, these layered and distorted self-portraits are transferred onto mirrors, prompting viewers to see themselves while simultaneously looking at the artist. The work asks us to consider the disconnect between how we perceive ourselves and how others see us. In the mirror, we often meet ourselves with less compassion, less grace, and little room for change. Our perception becomes distorted by societal standards that define what is considered flawed or desirable.

Working with film is part of the process of unknowing. The medium requires the artist to photograph without immediately seeing the results, creating a process of trust and delayed discovery. As the negatives are layered during development, new distortions emerge organically. Transferring the images onto mirrors introduces another level of imperfection; the process itself resists precision and control, requiring the artist to relinquish the pursuit of perfection.

Humans will never be perfect, yet our definitions of perfection are constantly shaped by culture, environment, and trends. What is perfection? What is aging? Why are these ideas so often placed in opposition to one another?

Aging is evidence of living. Honey, you’re getting older, and that’s okay.