From Linda Priestley, Editor-in-Chief
You’ve no doubt heard or perhaps even used the line “Getting older is not for the faint of heart” (or, as Bette Davis is supposed to have put it, “Old age ain’t for sissies!”). It may seem like a harmless quip, but it can have damaging effects, reinforcing a negative stereotype. It just sounds wrong to people like me who are keen on positive aging.
Even if you intend only to poke fun at your minor ailments, aches, and pains, it can also convey the general idea that after a certain point, the end is a foregone conclusion. And while the truth is that, yes, it is inevitable—the story ends the same way for all of us—it’s a bad idea to jump the gun, living a kind of death now, years before it’s time, as if you’ve given up and stopped laughing at some point.
Of course, when someone is experiencing genuine distress, and it’s ongoing, discouragement is understandable. Some people don’t age easily, and not recognizing this would mean disrespecting them. However, there’s no point in demoralizing people who are 50-plus and physically and mentally fit, those who live life fully, by projecting a negative and stereotypical image onto them. Yet that is what still happens, especially in the media.
A Finnish study showed that in an analysis of 95 images of older adults published in the media between 2022 and 2023, the majority were portrayed as being vulnerable, even a burden, and appeared on a drab or grey background. No nuance. But the last chapter of life is far from monochromatic, whether someone is in their 50s or their 90s.
It’s true that aging is no joke, but dealing with bullies in the schoolyard isn’t fun either, nor is navigating adolescence, divorce, or menopause. Every life stage or circumstance has its share of challenges. But telling yourself every day that aging is a heavy burden or constantly hearing that message all around you can warp your outlook, your state of mind.
Conversely, it helps to know that the more we expect positive things as we age—energy, mental clarity, well-being—the more these things become possible. It’s not just me saying so; it’s science. In short, the problem is not aging but the current discourse that diminishes its value.
It’s up to us to change the narrative.
