Ageism In Today's Society
Ageism in Today’s Society: Is it Acceptable?
Why is society ageist? Research would indicate that we stereotype older people because we fear old age. We fear the loss of physical and mental ability, of attractiveness, learning power, status, and independence. We seek to distance ourselves from what we worry might be our own future when we are older and so we create what we fear. This is especially true for women. Our ageist society can greatly effect and impact negatively on a woman’s self-perception as stereotypes about age is ingrained in us during youth and further reinforced by society and media. This is done through magazine ads, billboards, television, commercials, and movies, newspapers and videos. Women are the predominant victims of age discrimination and are burdened with the negative effects. It is very common that as women age they should try to retain a youthful appearance. The biggest negative impact that women deal with is a negative body image. “Body image is important to a woman’s self-concept and provides a basis for her own identity, for her ability to perform different activities, and for the goals she has set her for herself” (Unit 2, pg. 37). According to Tunaley, et al., …show more content…
This group of people show remarkable good health and many are actually healthier then their younger generation in the 60’s or 70’s.
Therefore in conclusion, living in a society in this day and age where ageism still exists does not make sense. There is so much information out there and help available for other stereotypes and “ism’s” such as sexism and racism that in today’s world with the information that we have, ageism should never exist and it should more widely discussed. Society should be more accepting of the ‘ageing self’ and embrace it rather than trying to reverse it. Plenty of money and time and effort are wasted on trying to change such a natural process that it ruins people’s perceptions and acceptance of
Why is society ageist? Research would indicate that we stereotype older people because we fear old age. We fear the loss of physical and mental ability, of attractiveness, learning power, status, and independence. We seek to distance ourselves from what we worry might be our own future when we are older and so we create what we fear. This is especially true for women. Our ageist society can greatly effect and impact negatively on a woman’s self-perception as stereotypes about age is ingrained in us during youth and further reinforced by society and media. This is done through magazine ads, billboards, television, commercials, and movies, newspapers and videos. Women are the predominant victims of age discrimination and are burdened with the negative effects. It is very common that as women age they should try to retain a youthful appearance. The biggest negative impact that women deal with is a negative body image. “Body image is important to a woman’s self-concept and provides a basis for her own identity, for her ability to perform different activities, and for the goals she has set her for herself” (Unit 2, pg. 37). According to Tunaley, et al., …show more content…
This group of people show remarkable good health and many are actually healthier then their younger generation in the 60’s or 70’s.
Therefore in conclusion, living in a society in this day and age where ageism still exists does not make sense. There is so much information out there and help available for other stereotypes and “ism’s” such as sexism and racism that in today’s world with the information that we have, ageism should never exist and it should more widely discussed. Society should be more accepting of the ‘ageing self’ and embrace it rather than trying to reverse it. Plenty of money and time and effort are wasted on trying to change such a natural process that it ruins people’s perceptions and acceptance of