Do you know the meaning of ageism? 🆙

In pharmacies and cosmetics stores there is a product that never goes out of style: the anti-aging cream. The purpose of the composition is to soften wrinkles, reduce expression lines, keep the skin firm and rescue the youthful appearance that is considered essential for women. Some brands have anti-aging creams that should be used from the age of 20.

In addition to this product, there is the option of injecting botox in the face. With the same objective as the cream, but with instant action, the procedure of applying botox is one of the most performed cosmetic surgeries in the world. In 2015, nearly 5 million applications were performed, according to data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Increasingly, the number of women seeking preventive application of Botox, in their 20s and 30s, is growing.

Do you know the meaning of ageism? — image of rottonara by Pixabay

the face of old age

To many people, it may seem that the obsession with youth is a whim or an exaggeration. Men, for example, do not face this issue in the same way as women. Celebrities like George Clooney flaunt their gray hair on the red carpet and are considered heartthrobs. But does this also happen to women?

Think of the beauty product advertisements and the women that are in the spotlight in the media. All have smooth, wrinkle-free, sagging and blemish-free skin. In order for a woman to be considered beautiful and valued by society, she must preserve the appearance she had in her 20s, even if she is well past 50.

How many times have you seen Jennifer Aniston's face and thought she's still the same as when she was in the cast of Friends? Maybe you've seen a picture of Angelina Jolie and wondered how she can still look so young when she's already over 40. Even Gisele Bündchen will leave her 30s as if no time has passed for her.

Thinking about these issues and how much youth is required of women, it is understandable that so many of them seek anti-aging creams and aesthetic procedures to cheat time. As much as this is normalized behavior by society, it is not normal to want women to never change their appearance.

What is ageism?

The name of the prejudice that imposes eternal youth on women and rejects aging is ageism. In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) identified, among 86 people from 57 countries, that 60% of these people had a negative view of the aging process.

Although ageism is more noticeable when it comes to women's physical appearance, this discrimination also affects the job market and living in society. Instead of considering that older people are capable of performing different activities and that they have a lot to teach the world, they exclude this part of the population as invalid, dependent and antiquated.

In an advertising agency, for example, that needs creative, up-to-date and laid-back people, the chances of hiring someone who is approaching 50 is very difficult. This differentiation is not exclusive to the field of communication, even though the elderly population is the fastest growing in Spain. People over 60 make up 15% of the Spanish population, according to the Instituto Españaeiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE).

If medicine advances more and more and if there are ways to prolong life, why does society continue to build the image that elderly people should not be included in the job market and in the concepts of beauty? Aging is not a sign of depreciation, but of vitality, after all, a person only reaches old age if he is in good health.

How to fight ageism?

Having recognized that ageism is a problem in society, action must be taken to break this pattern. How to fight ageism so that the elderly continue to integrate society in an active and participatory way?

1) Beauty standards

By stating that women suffer more from the imposition of beauty standards, it is not implied that men do not suffer aesthetic pressure. Many of them may feel neglected or with low self-esteem because they are aging and balding, for example. But, yes, society is crueler to women at this point.

That's why the tips to combat ageism in beauty standards will be aimed at women. It is difficult to circumvent society's stereotypes, because they are taught for life throughout life. It will be a slow and painful process to recognize that the standards do not match the reality of the world, but the result will be very satisfying.

The first step in combating ageism in beauty standards is to make sure that the people the media glorifies are not naturally young. They undergo cosmetic procedures, have financial and medical resources that are quite capable of making them maintain the look they've always had. These women cannot serve as a standard or a reference, because the image they convey is fabricated, not natural.

Therefore, you should seek new references from people who are your age and who have not gone through a series of procedures to look younger. Finding inspiration is the most efficient way to get your mind used to an image of old age that is more compatible with reality.

An example to start this process of detoxifying beauty standards is the Instagram profile @blogdasu70. Sueli Rodrigues is a 70-year-old woman who classifies herself as a mature influencer. She is not afraid to show her best attributes: joy, willpower, vitality, gray hair, wrinkles and a charming life trajectory.

The second step to leaving ageism in the past is to admire yourself. Realize how the body you have accompanied you throughout your life, stores your memories, your stories and is the way you were always in the world and showed yourself to it. Spend a few minutes in front of the mirror and give yourself the right to fall in love with your curves, your blemishes, your skin and your hair.

You can use moisturizers, perfumes and makeup, of course. It can even reproduce some of the stereotypes that have always been associated with your gender. But it's important that you realize that you're very beautiful without all that, just for being you. Cherish your story and everything you've lived by showing that, yes, you've aged!

The last step in overcoming ageism is to show the people around you that it's okay to get old. If you uplift and inspire your friends who are in their 60s, for example, they will find it easier to recognize that there is beauty in their bodies. Support among women is key to fighting all kinds of beauty standards!

2) Labor market

In the labor market, combating ageism can be a little more difficult, because it is not an issue that depends exclusively on the elderly population, but on employers. No matter how much qualification a person over 60 has, there is nothing to guarantee that he or she will be put back into the job market.

One option to return to the job market – or to stay in it – is entrepreneurship, if you are able to do so. If you've always had a hobby that hasn't been explored or if you want to venture into an activity, do it! Explore skills you didn't know about, and if it works, try to sell what you've produced.