Yesterday, I shared on my personal blog that I’m retiring at the end of June. After working full time for over 40 years, I’m excited to get started on my next chapter. In the back of my mind, though, is a small seed of concern about being made to feel irrelevant thanks to the negative stereotypes of older adults that I see in the world around me.
Despite the fact that people are living longer and healthier lives, western culture clings to outdated stereotypes of retirement and aging. This reality was brought home to me over the weekend when I opened Canva to create images for my blog post. I searched “retirement”, and this is a sampling of the images that came up.
As I looked at the images, I shook my head. By far, negative images outnumbered positive ones.
Many portrayed white-haired people walking with canes. Others showed older adults sitting in rocking chairs or armchairs. Money was a recurring theme in many of the images…one even showed an older couple sitting on top of a pile of money. Who does that?
Almost exclusively, the more positive images related to travel—perpetuating the vision of retirement that involves endless travel to exotic destinations.
Where are the more realistic images of older adults starting businesses, volunteering in their communities, playing with their young grandchildren, running marathons, writing books, or pursuing passion projects?
Sadly, this negative stereotyping isn’t unique to Canva.
The Last Socially Acceptable Form of Discrimination
In their book What Retirees Want, Ken Dychtwald and Robert Morison call out ageism as the last socially acceptable form of discrimination. Today’s seniors have more wealth, disposable income, and free time than young people, yet businesses consistently market products and services to the “lucrative” youth market. The book cited a 2019 AARP study that found older adults are seven times more likely to be portrayed negatively in online media images than younger adults.
Last month, the U.K.’s Centre for Ageing Better responded to growing concerns about treatment of older adults by launching England’s first ever anti-ageism campaign. Age Without Limits invites people to call out and challenge ageism. There’s even a quiz to help people identify if they unconsciously hold ageist beliefs. Take the quiz. You might be surprised at what you learn.
Ageism – It’s Time to Fight Back
Start paying attention to the images of older adults you see every day. You’ll be hard pressed to find many images of older adults, let alone realistic and positive portrayals of a growing demographic that is reinventing retirement and aging.
It’s time to reexamine negative stereotypes of older adults and hold brands and media outlets accountable. We need to call out examples of ageism when we see them.
Like most people retiring today, I have big plans for my future. I’m definitely looking forward to a more relaxed pace of life and you might find me enjoying my morning tea on the deck. But like many others my age, I also have a long list of projects and interests that I can’t wait to dive into.
What images come to your mind when you hear the word retirement? Drop me a comment below with your ideas.
Learn more about me in my bio and on my personal blog at BoomerEcoCrusader.com. You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.