What does it mean to be in your prime?

A very frenzied discussion about what it essentially means to 'be in your prime'.

Another notion of being desensitised thanks to the internet features this idea of being in your prime, or knowing what it looks like to not be in your prime. Often, when I scroll through TikTok or what have you, I come across videos captioned along the lines of ‘Selena Gomez in her prime>>>’ and I find it really backhanded. It’s always just photographs of celebrities when they were younger? Is youth really the epitome of being in your prime?

This really got me thinking. A lot. What does it mean to be in your prime? A lot of celebrities like Selena Gomez or Aishwarya Rai who are often speculated over being in their ‘prime’ were not only younger, but also the talk of the town during their ‘prime’ eras. When I reflected on this trend, I realised that it can’t only be associated with age, but it is also associated with their rise to fame. They both rose to fame during their youth, and I feel like being in your prime is not solely factored in on age (although it is heavily associated with this aspect), but also your, for lack of a better word, clout. Social status if you will.

To debunk the idea that being in your prime is associated with being young, a great example crossed my mind: Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu who plays Sylvie in Emily in Paris. I think we can all agree that Sylvie is utterly fabulous, and I believe there is a general consensus who often comments on how she has aged like fine wine. I wholeheartedly agree! Whilst I have seen some people compare photographs of Philippine’s younger self with her current self, I have not seen a single person criticise that she is ‘no longer in her prime’ or say that ‘she was so beautiful’. I am so glad to see a varied rhetoric for once. Philippine was already a successful actress prior to Emily in Paris, but I do appreciate that her character has been glamorised as this successful, independent ‘girlboss’, rather than a washed up boss who meddles in Emily’s affairs. Within the narrative, we see that Sylvie is not only a strong and fierce character, but that she is also free. Sylvie is emancipated in many ways, from financial to sexual freedom. I love this depiction, do I dare say it is anti-ageist? It could be that this was not the producers’ intention, as Paris is so glamorous in itself, but Sylvie’s character reinforces to us that life does not end after your twenties or thirties. Life does not end ever, actually. Not only does she look and feel beautiful, she has many resources to lead and enjoy her life, even starting her own business. Maybe I have blabbed about this depiction too much, but I think this is such an important topic to talk about.

So what does it mean to be in your prime? Is it solely to be young, desirable and beautiful? Or is it when one is fabulous and wealthy? I disagree with it all. I think being in your prime means to be truly happy, free (freedom exists in so many forms) and to feel alive. Anyone can live a life, but to live is something else entirely.