When I was first brainstorming about what to focus on for my Debunking Ageist Myths Assignment, I was having trouble finding a myth that I felt was both incredibly false and unsettling to speak about. Although all myths and stereotypes perpetuate violence one way or another, for this project specifically, I gravitated towards conversations that made people realize their own ageist behaviors/opinions that they may (or may not) be aware of. It took me a while to remember what we have read/discussed in past sessions but as I reflected on what captured my attention, I realized that it was the topic of sex and sexuality that I felt interested in. I remember specifically reading the chapter from This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism that spoke about sex and intimacy in old age. I not only enjoyed learning about how older people experience sex and how they’ve learned to adapt but also gaining understanding as to why it’s seen as a taboo. I necessarily don’t believe that a way to debunk this myth is to push more old age sex and intimacy in the media. As with any scene of sex and intimacy, it can be very uncomfortable and inappropriate to many when not in the right context. A true turning point for the acceptance and respect for old age sex and intimacy would be found in the comfortability and openness of the idea first. And by the looks of it, there’s going to be a lot of undoing in that area which is why I chose to debunk this myth. For those of us that make it, we are already a part of the older generation and so why not join them in empowering their sexuality and intimate desires?
Being part of the LCS program has definitely given me insights into aging that I never would have imagined learning. I do feel that I could have been learning more if we weren’t living through COVID-19 - I was looking forward to making those trips to the senior residencies and having a good time with them. As we’re getting close to wrapping up the program, it is a bit difficult to get seniors involved in our project when we need to rely on virtual connections. But of course, we are working on that and I’m sure that everything will work out in the end - an attitude that I need to have everyday as both a student and worker in this pandemic. I’ve enjoyed starting this course with the new book and getting to discuss it with classmates because they’ve been incredibly useful and beautiful for me as a person who is only getting started with life. Although we are not in person, I believe that I’ll be able to take many great things away from this program which is what I was hoping for when I first applied. Something different these first weeks that we didn’t really do last quarter was create discussion questions about the chapters that we’ve read and then break out into rooms to start conversations. I really enjoy that because I get to understand how my classmates not only relate to the reading but also how they experience life overall, which is always an honor to understand.
Only after having two classes, reading a few chapters from Selling the Fountain of Youth by Arlene Weintraub, & reflecting on the activities that we did in class, I learned a lot about how people felt about aging and what aging signified to many. In reflecting on the reading, it surprised me that millions of people wanted to not grow old or show any signs of aging. To me, aging is a natural part of life and in seeking to “stop” or “reverse” it seems unfeasible and possibly detrimental. I believe that I would personally want to be healthy and have a steady, active routine just to add a few more years and actually feel them. That exercise about us needing to imagine ourselves at 80 years old was interesting since all I could think about was how the pace of my life would drastically slow down and how I would only do what I wanted and I didn’t need to do anything for anyone else or there were no expectations of me. In that sense, when I think about aging, I’m not so concerned about how I’ll look but more about what I’ll get to do and what life I’ll get to lead. I could probably do that now but I feel that I can’t exactly choose what to do (especially with this pandemic) so I’m deciding to focus on myself and my body, indulging in self-care and self-love. I will say I am very excited about helping my grandpa (EP) write a memoir based on a few selected memories - the past projects that were presented in class were heartwarming and true treasures.
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Leonardo AvilesGlobal Health major from Canoga Park, CA. Archives
May 2021
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