For professional men, cosmetic procedures are increasingly tied to career longevity. Galloway argues that appearing youthful and vigorous is becoming a proxy for economic viability, shifting the motivation from simple vanity to a strategic career investment.
Galloway observes that men, culturally raised to be breadwinners, feel entitled to high earnings and thus are often dissatisfied with their pay. This contrasts with women, whose goal is often pay equity—a different psychological benchmark influencing satisfaction.
While wage data may contradict a crisis, people feel poorer because happiness equals prosperity minus expectations. Social media massively inflates expectations by normalizing the lifestyle of the top 0.1%, causing widespread feelings of financial failure.
Galloway suggests 'balance' is a myth for ambitious couples. The key to a successful partnership is explicit alignment on shared long-term goals and the sacrifices required to achieve them, rather than trying to perfectly balance time and attention on a daily basis.
The true affordability crisis isn't about everyday goods, but the soaring costs of assets essential for upward mobility: housing and education. While wages track inflation for goods, they lag behind the 'price of entry into wealth,' creating deep-seated anxiety.