The Influence Of Betty Jo In American Culture

One of the topics we talked about in class comes from slide set six; work. In the slides, we learned that work ethic tends to be something that American culture values highly. Because of this, many people tend to work even if there is no financial need to do so. Betty Jo has been working as a partner with her husband and his business for the past thirty-two years and can’t imagine it being any other way. Her and her husband are very well-off financially yet they aren’t considering retirement yet. Work has become a part of her identity and she claims that it helps keep her time occupied and her mind sharp. Another topic that we learned about in class that applies to Betty Jo is the physical aspects of aging as found in slide set two. In the interview, Betty Jo lets us know that she wishes she had listened when she was younger and used sunscreen because she has many more wrinkles than she would like to have at her age. Her skin’s appearance is a sign of biological age. In the slide set, biological age is defined as “physical chemical and biological changes that occur in organs, tissues, and physical appearance” (Slide Set 2, p. 3). Wrinkles are a natural part of aging and are most prominent on skin that is exposed to the sun so Betty Jo may be right by stating she should have used more …show more content…
I have yet to experience a death in my immediate family, thankfully, so it was interesting for me to see how that can change a person’s behaviors. Betty Jo described herself as conforming before her father passed away. His passing made her realize that there is so much more to life than what is “the norm”. Listening to her tell me how important relationships with our loved ones are makes me want to improve the relationships that I have. She is right, you never know when something is going to happen and every moment should be full of life and a variety of