Why ‘You look young for your age!’ is not necessarily a compliment
“You look young for your age!”, “Young people are innovative” or “Population ageing is a problem”. These are all statements that express wrongful assumptions about age. Prof. dr. Aagje Swinnen holds a chair with specialised remit in Ageing Studies at UM. She studies the cultural meaning behind ageing and the stigmas attached to growing old. This month, she started running a humorous T-shirt campaign amongst UM students and staff, to make them aware of the ideal of youth that our society clings to.
The ideal of youth
“In our culture, youth is often considered to be the ideal,” Swinnen explains. It’s not so much about your years on the calendar as it is about the characteristics and behaviour that we associate with youthfulness. The ideal image is, for example, that you are healthy and productive, that you contribute to society, live on your own, show interest in others, have a relationship and that you are sexually active.
Swinnen observes that this ideal is also projected on older people. “It is often praised when the elderly maintain the ideal of youth for as long as possible, for example by living independently, participating in communities and doing volunteer work. But for some of them, this is not possible. They are physically vulnerable and have to rely on care from others.” So our perception works stigmatising. It places the group of people that does not comply with our youthfulness norm outside of society.
Population ageing isn’t the problem, stigmatising is
Population ageing is often seen as a threat to our welfare state. This is a peculiar thought, according to Swinnen. “Newborn babies need care too and it takes about 25 years before a person is fully independent. Why do we see it differently when older people require care?” Swinnen is determined: “Population ageing isn’t the problem, stigmas attached to age are.”
According to Swinnen, there is still an unjust prevalent notion that you reach a peak in your thirties that declines after that age. “In reality, life is a wave with multiple highs and lows. Even if your physical abilities decrease, you can still develop yourself mentally and socially.”
Swinnen believes the consumer society plays an important role in the persistence of the ideal of youth. “We are continuously reminded that everything – including youthfulness – is achievable, for instance by getting botox or by applying anti-ageing products. You can make yourself look younger. But why do we tell ourselves that this is important?”
Population ageing isn’t the problem, stigmas attached to age are.
Aagje Swinnen
Intervention with T-shirts
What about age assumptions at UM? Swinnen is curious about those, because assumptions about age circulate within the university walls as well. That is why she would like to open up a conversation about this topic. To make ageism at the university a point of discussion, she – together with colleagues and student assistants – set up an intervention on ageism at UM. It is not an intervention with standard questionnaires: Swinnen introduced a fun concept. “T-shirt activism,” she calls it herself.
Swinnen explains: “We had T-shirts printed with stigmatising statements about age. We have T-shirts with stereotypical quotes about ‘being young’ and T-shirts with clichés about ‘being old’. An example is a shirt with the text ‘I am old and I am preventing your promotion’ versus a shirt that says ‘I am young and I am entitled to a promotion’.” These slogans are provocative on purpose, because Swinnen posits we have a big blind spot when it comes to assumptions about age. “The ‘Stop ageism at UM’ logo shows that we distance ourselves from all statements, even if they are seemingly positive. This way, we want to trigger a dialogue.”
In May and June of 2024, circa 25 ambassadors from various faculties will wear the T-shirt during working hours. There is a QR code on the back that leads to a website with (video) explanations about ageism and the intervention. The aim is for the ambassadors to start a conversation with people based on the statements. The resulting conversations will form the basis of the research that Swinnen and her colleagues are conducting. With this research they want to contribute to making UM more “age-friendly”, which fits the principles of the Age-Friendly University Global Network.
Difference between men and women
Swinnen's interest in the representation of growing older arose while she was writing her dissertation on the female Bildungsroman. Bildungsromans are novels that narrate the development of a main character until that person has found a place in society. These novels were often about young men. Swinnen studied a Bildungsroman that had a female main character of an older age. As a result, she discovered an important intersection between sexism and ageism.
Swinnen explains: “The meaning of ‘ageing successfully’ according to the ideal of youth differs for men and women. For women, their appearance and attractiveness plays a bigger part. Women are supposed to stay attractive as a sexual object. For men, the emphasis is placed on their performance at an older age, for example in sports and on a sexual level.”
Preventing exclusion
Ageism can have great consequences for everyone who is getting older, Swinnen clarifies. “It seems almost impossible for older people to create meaning without measuring up to the youth model (so doing lots of things, contributing to society and above all staying healthy and independent). If you feel like you have little value, you will have a lower self-image. For elderly, this has an effect on their social life and their health.”
According to Swinnen, intergenerational contact is a solution. She immediately adds: “Actually, I’d rather avoid the word ‘intergenerational’. It would be nice if we no longer see generations as fixed categories (such as millennials) and we simply are in contact with people of different ages. Younger people can learn from people with more life experience, and vice versa.”
Tips to prevent prejudice about age
Swinnen has 3 tips to prevent unconscious age stigmatising:
- Don’t say “You are only as old as you feel”. There simply are culturally determined age scripts. The scripts we associate with old age usually have a negative connotation. By not saying “You are only as old as you feel,” you put into perspective the meanings we ascribe to chronological age.
- Don't give compliments like “You look so young for your age!”. This underlines the idea of youth being the norm. Instead, try saying “You look good!”.
- Do not use ‘old’ as an insult, but rather as an honorary title, just as queer and crip (from cripple) are for queer and disability communities and studies.
Furthermore, Swinnen emphasises that we should focus more on the individual, instead of on the categories 'old' and 'young' or 'boomer' and 'generation Z'. “Age is only one of many factors that determine who you are today.”
Text: Romy Veul
Photos: Marcel van Hoorn
Would you like to know more about Swinnen’s anti-ageism campaign? Take a look at Centre for Gender and Diversity’s website for more information about the ‘Stop ageism at UM’ project.
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