It’s the grist of thousands of Instagram and X posts: Why do 35 year olds look so much younger today than their counterparts did 40-50 years ago? The actors Danny DeVito and John Ratzenberger, who both crossed the 35 threshold in the 1980s, are common literal faces of this meme, as they both were chubby and balding before they even reached 40.

The explanations for the visible disparity often fixate on vices—smoking, alcohol, and so on. These defining habits have likely affected aesthetics, but there’s more threads here. I’ll start with them and then explore some others.

Less indoor smoking

When I was ten, I remember helping at a bingo hall in which everyone was smoking. The deleterious effects of tobacco on the skin are well-known, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that indoor smoking began to vanish. By 2005, it was gone seemingly everywhere in the USA.

Less drinking?

I use a question mark because the decline in alcohol has not been nearly as quick or severe as that in smoking. Moreover, alcohol is bad but not as manifestly bad as tobacco. It dehydrating and damaging to the liver, but you’re not literally setting a fire in your lungs.

Hydration obsession

Speaking of hydration, the culture of watermaxxing—bringing huge water bottles everywhere, drinking “eight glasses” per day—is recent.

Gym culture

Gyms became big in the 1970s, especially after gay liberation. I figure that the ensuing fitness culture has helped stave off obvious age markers such as having a beer gut.

Hair drugs and operations

Joe Biden is a great illustration of how terrible baldness cures used to be; huge hair plugs that only became inconspicuous when his hair went white. The introduction of 5alpha-reductase inhibitors in 1992, 5% OTC minoxidil in 1997, and better hair restoration surgery over the years have all made hiding baldness much easier.

Lead abatement

The 1970s were awash in lead—it was in gasoline, paint, pipes, and sauter. It hasn’t gone away completely, but many of the biggest sources are gone.

Medical aesthetics

Botox, facelifts, injections, lasers—there are so many options now for refining your face subtly and continuously.