Talking point special: stereotypes
As a competition reveals an upbeat alternative to the ‘elderly crossing’ road sign, we ask whether the tide is finally turning on negative age stereotypes
When it comes to what getting older looks like, it’s interesting that one of the most widely used images, seen in almost every town and city in the UK, is the two hunched-over figures with walking sticks that everyone recognises as the ‘elderly crossing’ road sign.
But does the prevailing visual shorthand for older people in this country really have to be so onedimensional and negative? That’s what the charity Centre for Ageing Better asked as they created a competition seeking alternative road sign designs that would celebrate a more positive image of ageing.
The winning entry, seen above right, replaces the traditional sign with two people dancing. After all, just last year we celebrated Bill Bailey becoming the oldest ever winner of Strictly Come Dancing – apparently sparking a boom in interest in dance lessons among over 50s – a depiction of older people dancing is just as valid as one of them struggling to cross the street.
While this new sign is not intended for real road use – it will be used in reports and other materials to represent older people more positively – it’s all part of a growing conversation about the way society perceives later life. Several studies have shown that negative stereotypes of age, when internalised, can affect our memory, self-confidence, ability to perform tasks, and can even make us physically age prematurely.
While this age-positive movement takes many forms, one of the most important is the inclusion of older people in domains that have previously been seen as reserved for younger generations. The entertainment world, often criticised for overlooking older people, saw last year’s BAFTA awards for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress go to two women over 50 in Renée Zellweger and Laura Dern. Meanwhile, Meryl Streep, Michelle Pfeiffer and Sophia Loren are the forerunners for this year’s Best Actress Oscar. In the media, last year Judi Dench became Vogue’s oldest ever cover star while national treasure Captain Sir Tom Moore, who sadly died recently, appeared on the cover of GQ magazine. Even the President of the United States, arguably the most influential figure in the whole world, is a man nudging 80.
But this feeling of change isn’t just limited to high-profile individuals. In the news, there’s been a gradual rise in
stories that subvert expectations about later life. In 2020 we learned baby boomers are the greenest generation of all, while the over-65s were recently declared the fittest and most active generation of all.
In business, the number of CEOs of FTSE 100 companies that are in their 60s has doubled in the past 20 years while one in six new businesses are now started by people over 50. And of course, who can forget the thousands of retired GPs, nurses and health professionals who have stepped back into work to help out this last year, proving there is still enormous value in people even after they’ve officially cashed their last pay cheque.
Even in the world of technology, stereotypically shunned by older people, internet use among the over-65s has soared. So-called ‘granfluencers’ – older people with highly followed social media accounts – have also become increasingly popular for the alternative image of age they promote from Lyn Slater, a 63-yearold fashion trendsetter, to 92-yearold Helen Ruth Elam, known as Baddiewinkle, whose rebellious approach to getting older has gained her 3.6 million followers.
Meanwhile ordinary social media users have been making viral trends out of movements such as #GreyHairRevolution, celebrating their silver tresses and using the hashtag #agepositive when sharing pictures showing a positive depiction of later life.
It seems there is a genuine growing interest in what the decades after our 50th birthday really look like and that’s perhaps why we’ve seen a number of new books and podcasts dedicated to the subject, such as Gabby Logan’s The Mid Point podcast in which she interviews people who’ve made midlife career
‘There’s still enormous value in people, even after they’ve had their last pay cheque’
changes, to Caitlin Moran’s bestselling More Than a Woman which reflects on middle age.
In fiction, literary publisher Helen Corner-Bryant recently told Writer’s Magazine that, “midlife is in vogue” when it comes to novels. And even the UN has declared 2021-2030 The Decade of Healthy Ageing, making a commitment to explore initiatives that change how we think, feel and act towards ageing.
For all that these are wonderful, milestone achievements, there’s still a long way to go to change perceptions. One in three people still say they experience age prejudice or discrimination while many have noted new negative views that the pandemic has brought up, from the generic grouping of all over-70s as ‘vulnerable’ to controversial discussions about who should have the covid vaccination first.
With people over 65 expected to make up a staggering 17 per cent of the global population by 2050, we need to tackle issues around perception of age sooner than later. But the tide is, at least, turning in the right direction.
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