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Australian Study
Current Seniors May Be Last to Age Gracefully as
Boomers Fight to the End
Nov. 9, 2005 - Australian society's obsession with
looking younger is set to collide with the reality of aging, a
University of Queensland researcher warns. The current fixation
with trying to postpone aging is increasing and the current senior
citizens may be the last to age gracefully, says researcher Mair
Underwood, who will present her study at the Emerging Researchers in
Ageing (ERA) 2005 conference in Brisbane this week.
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"There is more and more emphasis being placed on
postponing and reversing signs of aging and we are increasingly being
given the means to look younger, with options such as cosmetic surgery
and botox," Underwood said.
"If the appearance of aging is starting to be
thought of as 'a choice', how will those who look 'old' be regarded?
Will they be considered failures? We already stigmatise those who are
'fat' because we consider the condition of their body to be their
responsibility. Will this also be the case with the appearance of
aging?"
Underwood's PhD study on how people of different
ages feel about, and understand their bodies indicated that baby boomers
were at the forefront of the anti-aging movement. The sheer numbers of
this group will result in the doubling of the population over 65 by
2051, so coping with aging will become an important issue.
"People show at least two responses to the threat
or reality of a stigmatized body. While some choose to change their body
to prevent stigma, there are, of course, limits to how much you can
change the body."
"Therefore, some take a second option – to redefine
who they are so that it doesn't include the body. Older people told me
that they were still the same person, it was just their body that had
become 'old'."
In general, it was younger people (under 60) who
were found to take the first option to change the body, while older
participants were more likely to accept their changing bodies and adapt
by using non-body related factors to define themselves.
There was some indication that baby boomers will
age differently. Participants in the study used hair-dye, cosmetics, and
more extreme measures such as cosmetic surgery to keep their bodies in
line with feelings of youthfulness.
"It seems that the younger cohorts are going to
fight the appearance of aging tooth and nail. We are living in a society
where we are told that our appearance is a reflection of our worth. This
is going to have major implications in a population that is aging, but
in which nobody wants to look 'old'."
Underwood will be joined by emerging researchers on
aging from throughout New Zealand and Australia who will present on
topics including:
●
How To Counteract Workplace Ageism
●
The Risk Of Alcohol-Related Problems In The Elderly
●
The Reluctance Of Elderly People To Work After 65 (Despite Government
Encouragement)
●
The Isolation Experienced By Grand Parents Who "Parent".
The conference opened yesterday at the Convention
and Exhibition Centre, Southbank. For more information, visit
http://www.uq.edu.au/aca/
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