Because the world is constantly evolving, we cannot be expected to stay the same forever. But hindsight is 20/20, and not everything can age like a fine wine. Netizens are quick to point out things that age like milk, or turn sour, disgusting, and undesirable (or in this case, inaccurate) in a mere number of days. Now, many things can age like milk, including fashion choices, films, social media trends, and more.
But it’s best not to use this phrase when describing people or things that have aged naturally. A woman in her 40s with visible wrinkles is not aging like milk; she’s just aging naturally as humans do. However, a politician’s claims that they want to save the environment might age like milk if they’re later caught taking a private jet between Los Angeles and San Francisco and eating red meat at every meal.
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Films and television shows are some of the best examples of things that can age like milk. A comedy that was a huge hit in the 1980s might be considered extremely problematic today if it includes jokes that are racially insensitive, misogynistic, or ableist. Unfortunately, filmmakers could get away with saying pretty much whatever they wanted back in the day, and viewing these jokes through a modern lens can be extremely uncomfortable.
There are plenty of romantic comedies from even just two decades ago that objectify women in shocking ways or use a character’s weight as a punchline. Most people today know that it’s inappropriate to comment on someone else’s body, and it’s never right to make a joke about it. But some shows and films from the 1990s make it seem like talking about other people’s physical features was no big deal.
It’s also common for us to find out over time that certain trends and claims aged like milk. For example, did you know that doctors in the 1930s-1950s were actually endorsing cigarettes? Just like influencers shill sketchy products today, the tobacco industry had physicians promoting certain brands or types of cigarettes way back then. Of course, today, it’s well documented how dangerous smoking is for a person’s health. So those ads definitely did not age well!
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Politicians and public figures also often make claims that age like milk, as everything they say is broadcast to the masses. Plus, they sometimes say what they think people want to hear, regardless of what’s actually the truth. For example, American Vice President JD Vance told voters in 2024 that a vote for Donald Trump is the “best way to prevent” a world war. Well, as we can see today, the American president has only gotten us closer to another world war, after inciting a war in Iran.
But politicians aren’t the only ones who end up looking silly after claims they make (or claims made about them) age poorly. Remember Elizabeth Holmes? This infamous fraudster was referred to as “the next Steve Jobs” when her company Theranos began to take off in 2016. Forbes also claimed that she was the “youngest self-made female billionaire.” By 2022, however, Holmes was facing potentially decades in prison after she was found guilty of conspiring to defraud investors out of billions of dollars.
Unfortunately, we sometimes find out information about our favorite celebrities that makes us question why we ever liked them in the first place. If you grew up watching The Cosby Show, you might have been shocked to hear about the disturbing allegations made against the show’s star, Bill Cosby. Apparently, he wasn’t the kind, loving man that he portrayed on television. In reality, he was a terrifying predator. So any wonderful claims made about him certainly aged like milk.
