Aging isn’t a disease, despite what popular culture and the media might have us believe. 

Dr. Sally Chivers, internationally renowned researcher on the cultural politics of aging and disability, and a founding member of Trent’s Centre for Aging & Society (TCAS), says society needs to rethink the notion that aging is something to be feared, prevented, and avoided. 

“Fear of aging isn’t something that just happened in the twenty-first century, however we have seen an increase in more extreme interventions... to prevent something, as though a wrinkle is a health problem.” 

Prof. Chivers studies ageism with an emphasis on how representation in film and literature influences how we view ourselves, as individuals and as a culture. 

Through that lens, she sheds light on the Western societal compulsion to evade the biological clock.  

Internalized Ageism

Internalized ageism is the prejudice we place on ourselves because of the stereotypes that circulate around us. Prof. Chivers says this feeling has been steadily increasing in recent years, explaining:  

“When we’re internally ageist we try to hide that we’re growing older...try to prove that we’re able and that we’re fit, or in gendered ways, that we’re beautiful.”  

Dying one’s hair to cover greys, refusing to use a senior’s discount, investing in copious amounts of anti-aging creams, are relatively harmless examples of internalized ageism. 

“However, it becomes really dangerous when it causes us to make decisions that may not be in our own best interest, or when we withdraw from social connections,” she added. Examples include avoiding the use of assistive devices or undergoing unnecessary surgical procedures.  

Covid-19

The pandemic played a role in influencing the way society views the elderly and aging, said Prof. Chivers, noting the boomer generation was particularly hard hit. 

When the aging population was identified as particularly at risk during the pandemic, many older individuals who hadn’t previously considered themselves old “had to face this idea that not only were they growing older, they were vulnerable.” 

Prof. Chivers highlighted that even now, years later, these effects have had a lasting impact, in particular in Western society. 

West Versus the Rest 

“One of the things that distinguishes Western approaches to aging that is not in our favour is that we are very often motivated by profit,” Prof. Chivers said.   

Individuals past their working lives may feel they are on the outskirts of society, perpetuating stereotypes of being helpless or burdensome. This is aggravated by advertising for seniors’ products that depict the elderly as vulnerable and desperate.  

Prof. Chivers suggested that Western societies could learn from other cultures that greater value the elderly.  

“Old age is not a problem to be solved,” she added, “but a state that we will all experience if we live long enough.”

Prof. Chivers has published two books, From Old Woman to Older Women: Contemporary Culture and Women's Narratives and The Silvering Screen: Old Age and Disability in Cinema and hosts her own podcast Wrinkle Radio. 

Trent is proud to celebrate Seniors Month in Ontario by spotlighting the contributions of staff, faculty, and students to seniors' care and showcasing the University’s commitment to intergenerational connectivity.