When Beauty Becomes Identity: What The Last Showgirl Reveals About Aging and the Search for Self

In today’s modern world we are sold the idea that aging is bad, and that we must do our best to avoid or reverse it. It is part of a widely collective denial about the end of life. Western society has fallen prey to a delusion that we are capable of controlling the aging process. In a culture where outward appearance is prioritized with personal value, aging can feel cataclysmic.

The Truth About Beauty

External beauty was never intended to carry the weight of our identity. The truth is that external beauty cannot fill the internal desire for meaning and wholeness. It is a great paradox, the more you seek wholeness from external things, the more of yourself you give away. When someone attaches their self-worth to their outward appearance, an inevitable collision of identity hangs in the balance.

When Ageism Erases Identity

We see this identity crisis unfold in the movie, The Last Showgirl. Shelley, Pamela Anderson’s character, is a Vegas showgirl who has invested her life in a career that is based on external appearance. As she discovers that the club she has worked at for decades is closing, she begins grieving and frantically searching for a way to hold onto her identity as a showgirl. What she finds herself up against is a cultural bias that exploits youthful femininity. Shelley has been seduced by the glamour of her life as a showgirl, and she lost sight of her own identity in the process. The sad truth about the end of her career hits her like a death as she begins to understand the harsh reality of ageism.

The Importance of Meaning and Purpose

The human spirit is motivated by meaning and purpose. When people perceive their existence and their lived experiences as meaningful, life is colored with purpose. It serves as a powerful foundation for humans to establish resilience. A person who finds themselves blind to these two virtues may experience existential crisis, questioning their identity, value, and direction.

Many people spend a large part of their adult lives taking on an outward-facing identity dictated by cultural standards. At a crucial point, life eventually asks the hard question, “Who are you when these things are no longer there?”

Jungian Individuation

Carl Jung described a collision between the unconscious parts of the identity and the conscious self. It is a shocking awakening for someone who has lived their conscious life disconnected from their deeper authentic self. Jung called the process of integration between the unconscious and conscious parts of our Self, individuation.

If we deny who we truly are, we will one day inevitably find ourselves grieving who we never knew we were—the deep, authentic, messy self that lies waiting for our invitation to awaken.

Video commentary from @melanielittle4057