Addressing Ageism
I am an older adult who is embracing the joys and challenges of aging. I moved into the next chapter of my life when COVID hit in early 2020, and said farewell to my job with the Federal Government. I had an interest in issues involving older adults. At the time, I heard about ageism and I wanted to learn more and educate myself about this important topic. A definition of ageism is discrimination based on age.
I read about ageism in the workplace and in health care. I wanted to look at advertising, both print and TV. There are many commercials for products and services used by people of all ages – for example, coffee, going to restaurants, pet products and clothing to name a few. What I found was the majority of these ads only had younger people. I wanted to know why. I started writing to these companies, mentioning that people of all ages use their products and older people also have purchasing power, yet no representation of them in their ads. Most of these businesses thanked me for writing and didn’t mention specific reasons why older adults were not included in their ads. I got a lot of “we want to be more inclusive and diverse in our advertising”. Some of the non-responders have lost my business. I think bringing awareness is a good first step, a work-in-progress.
Learning about ageism makes me aware of the language I use – for example, saying to someone “you look amazing” instead of “you look great FOR YOUR AGE”. I want to read about the story behind someone’s accomplishment, not that the person featured was 80 years old. Please don’t address me as “dear” “sweetie” or “ma’am”. I have had people speak more slowly and loudly to me – assuming as I get older, I can’t follow what they are saying and that my hearing diminishes. I will speak up if I need something repeated. There needs to be more representation of older people on retail business websites – specifically stores where they shop at. I wrote to one clothing retail chain, and I started to see more pictures on their website of older women modelling their outfits a few weeks afterwards. There are you tube channels that talk about “fashion mistakes women make over the age of 50”. My motto is doing what makes you feel amazing (and the same applies to men as well).
A suggestion for a book that addresses ageism is “THIS CHAIR ROCKS, A MANIFESTO AGAINST AGEISM” by Ashton Applewhite. Also, check out organizations like CARP (Canadian Association of Retired Persons) and NAFR (National Association of Federal Retirees) for suggestions on combatting ageism.
It’s important that seniors/older adults need to be visible. They have a lot to offer – skills, experience, and wisdom. I will continue to respectfully speak out as needed. I appreciated the opportunity to share my personal story about ageism.