The Debunking Ageist Myths assignment really opened my eyes to the stigmas older people have attached to them that are exacerbated by ageism. The idea that aging affects men and women the same is obviously false -- just thinking of the stereotype that older men are more distinguished and wise while older women are simply perceived as old is one example. Although the first wave, second wave, and modern feminism have greatly addressed and have begun to correct sexism, that only applies to younger women currently. Seeing the statistics of older women being ignored in their workplace, feeling judged based on their age, not feeling confident in any part of their lives, and more paints a depressing story (to say the least). And that’s only covering the intersection between age and gender -- including race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, etc. also impacts how you age. Although my project focused solely on white men vs. white women, there is far more to aging than meets the eye. Until we as a society can shed the mindset that aging is a problem and less than ideal, these ageist stereotypes will continue to negatively impact more women than men, more black women than white, more lower class status than upper.
I don’t have much experience interacting with older people other than those during this class, but I can say that my music teachers (both women) were extraordinary individuals that were a great influence on me growing up. As a young girl, I looked up to both of them and I would hate to imagine them ridiculed for their age or their gender. To me, this was an important project to shed light onto this issue as a young person.
I don’t have much experience interacting with older people other than those during this class, but I can say that my music teachers (both women) were extraordinary individuals that were a great influence on me growing up. As a young girl, I looked up to both of them and I would hate to imagine them ridiculed for their age or their gender. To me, this was an important project to shed light onto this issue as a young person.