Stereotypes Of Senior Citizens

Discussing the intimate details of personal lives is shunned of those above the age of 55, especially in women. With the growing number of senior citizens, I believe their representation should be accurate and not based on stereotypes caused by media, television, and film. In 1903, there were only 3 million Americans who were fifty-five or over. This year the figures reached 60 million and plans to double by the 2030. Senior citizens make up 21% of the United States population (Wikler 210). However, with the life span increasing, more and more emphasis is placed on youth.
Younger generations, including children, teenagers, young adults and the middle-aged, control media, television, and film. Consumerism can be to blame, however this is becoming more prominent in today’s world because younger generations hold media directly in the pocket, purse, or backpack, acting as a personal remote for their youth aimed dominate objective. This emphasis on youth has created stereotypes of the older generations, the seniors of our society. Stereotypes are born through media and now perpetuated immediately as younger generations continue to press send, upload, share, or post. Ageism has continued as middle-aged citizens turn into senior citizens, cycling through generation after generation. As a society, there seems to be a fear of aging because it makes us feel powerlessness, it creates body disabilities and malfunctions, its inability to race around, be important, and to take care of itself (Thone Preface). We feel no longer in control of our bodies while we age, but we are in control of our bodies for much longer than society, media, and advertisements lead us to believe. Ageism doesn’t only hurt seniors now, but will hurt younger generati...

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...ether senior women are in fact asexual, for a variety of reasons, or if they are culturally seen as past their prime, with society forcibly declaring women above the age of 55 asexual.
Senior women are losing their identity to the representation of however media desires to perpetuate. In fact, only four in every ten women on screen are aged over 40, meaning women 55 and over are seeing even less screen time. There is an absenting of women through the media lens, whether television, film, or broadcasting, there is a lack of opportunities and presence of senior women, even less with older women exuding sexual interests. The media industry claims that bringing in younger women to the screen refreshes the brand, creating a problematic sphere for women, not only on losing their share of screen time, but it narrates that senior women do not have a place in our society.