Shades of grey: to dye or not to dye one's hair in later life

2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1011-1026 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE ◽  
ALEXANDRA KOROTCHENKO
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Later Life ◽  
White Hair ◽  
Doing Gender ◽  
Hair Dye ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Grey Hair ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Look ◽  
Depth Interviews

ABSTRACTThis article examines older women's perceptions of grey, white and coloured hair. Using data from in-depth interviews with 36 women aged 71–94 years (mean 79), we elucidate the women's attitudes towards and reasons for dyeing or not dyeing their hair. The majority of our participants disparaged the appearance of grey hair, which they equated with ugliness, dependence, poor health, social disengagement and cultural invisibility. The women were particularly averse to their own grey hair, and many suggested that other women's grey hair was acceptable, if not attractive. At the same time, half of the women liked the look of snowy white hair, which they associated with attractiveness in later life as well as with goodness and purity. While one-third of the women had begun to dye their hair in their youth so as to appear more fashionable, two-thirds continued to dye their hair in later life so as to mask their grey hair and their chronological age. The women suggested that they used hair dye to appear more youthful and to resist ageist stereotypes associated with older women. We discuss the findings in relation to previous research concerning older women's hair, the concept of doing gender, and theories pertaining to ageism.

Beauty in Later Life: Older Women's Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness

2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 429-442 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Hurd Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Physical Attractiveness ◽  
Sense Of Self ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Fashion Models ◽  
Beauty Ideals ◽  
Female Bodies ◽  
Using Data

ABSTRACTUsing data from 96 hours of semi-structured interviews with women aged 61 to 92, this paper explores the meanings that older women attribute to beauty and aging. The women in my study tend to equate physical attractiveness with youthfulness and slimness. However, they reject the extremes of thinness embodied in today's fashion models and actresses. Even as they disparage obese individuals, the women argue that thin older women appear scrawny. The women express a preference for more rounded female bodies than current beauty standards allow and emphasize the importance of inner beauty. While some women view their wrinkles negatively, others suggest that their facial creases are badges of honour. I argue that older women do not simply internalize beauty ideals to the detriment of their sense of self. Rather, older women resist and challenge current ideals of feminine attractiveness and suggest alternative beauty ideals and definitions of personal desirability.

Bat wings, bunions, and turkey wattles: body transgressions and older women's strategic clothing choices

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 709-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE ◽  
MERIDITH GRIFFIN ◽  
KATHERINE MALIHA
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Female Body ◽  
Later Life ◽  
The Body ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Body Shapes ◽  
Clothing Choices ◽  
Depth Interviews

ABSTRACTThis paper examines older women's experiences and perceptions of clothing prescriptions for adults in later life. Using data from in-depth interviews with 36 women aged 71 to 93 years, we investigate the stringent, taken-for-granted social norms that older women identified with respect to appropriate fashion for the ageing female body. Specifically, the participants argued that older women should refrain from wearing bright colours and revealing or overly suggestive styles. Expressing a preference for classic or traditional styles, the women also reported that they used clothing strategically to mask or compensate for bodily transgressions that had occurred over time as a result of the physical realities of ageing, including weight gain, altered body shapes, wrinkles and sagging or ‘flabby’ arms and necks, referred to respectively as ‘bat wings’ and ‘turkey wattles’. In addition, the women contended that they consciously chose their clothing styles to compensate for age-related health issues and/or to present a competent, healthy self to others. Finally, the women talked about the ways in which their clothing choices were influenced by their changing lifestyles and constrained by a lack of desirable and affordable clothing options for the older female body. The findings are discussed in the light of Erving Goffman's concept of stigma and contemporary theorising about ageing, ageism, beauty work and the body.

Visible and invisible ageing: beauty work as a response to ageism

2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE ◽  
MERIDITH GRIFFIN
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Cosmetic Surgery ◽  
Romantic Partner ◽  
Women's Bodies ◽  
Hair Dye ◽  
Women’S Experiences ◽  
Women's Experiences ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Invisibility ◽  
Depth Interviews

ABSTRACTThis paper examines how older women experience and respond to ageism in relation to their changing physical appearances and within the context of their personal relationships and places of employment. We elucidate the two definitions of ageism that emerged in in-depth interviews with 44 women aged 50 to 70 years: the social obsession with youthfulness and discrimination against older adults. We examine the women's arguments that their ageing appearances were pivotal to their experience of ageism and underscored their engagement in beauty work such as hair dye, make-up, cosmetic surgery, and non-surgical cosmetic procedures. The women suggested that they engaged in beauty work for the following underlying motivations: the fight against invisibility, a life-long investment in appearance, the desire to attract or retain a romantic partner, and employment related-ageism. We contend that the women's experiences highlight a tension between being physically and socially visible by virtue of looking youthful, and the realities of growing older. In other words, social invisibility arises from the acquisition of visible signs of ageing and compels women to make their chronological ages imperceptible through the use of beauty work. The study extends the research and theorising on gendered ageism and provides an example of how women's experiences of ageing and ageism are deeply rooted in their appearances and in the ageist, sexist perceptions of older women's bodies.

‘I know it exists … but I haven't experienced it personally’: older Canadian men's perceptions of ageism as a distant social problem

2015 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 1757-1773 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE ◽  
ALEXANDRA KOROTCHENKO
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Canadian Society ◽  
Physical Decline ◽  
Frail Elders ◽  
Active Lifestyles ◽  
Depth Interviews

ABSTRACTThis paper examines how older men perceive, experience and internalise ageist prejudice in the context of their everyday lives. We draw on in-depth interviews with 29 community-dwelling Canadian men aged 65–89. Although one-third of our participants were unfamiliar with the term ageism, the majority felt that age-based discrimination was prevalent in Canadian society. Indicating that they themselves had not been personally subjected to ageism, the men considered age-based discrimination to be a socially distant problem. The men explained their perceived immunity to ageism in terms of their youthful attitudes and active lifestyles. The men identified three groups who they considered to be particularly vulnerable to age-based discrimination, namely women, older workers and frail elders residing in institutions. At the same time, the majority of our participants had internalised a variety of ageist and sexist stereotypes. Indeed, the men assumed that later life was inevitably a time of physical decline and dependence, and accepted as fact that older adults were grumpy, poor drivers, unable to learn new technologies and, in the case of older women, sexually unattractive. In this way, a tension existed between the men's assertion that ageism did not affect their lives and their own internalisation of ageist stereotypes. We consider our findings in relation to the theorising about ageism and hegemonic masculinity.

scholarly journals MEN’S GENDER CAPITAL EXPERIENCES IN LATER LIFE

2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-101
Author(s):  
Marta Gregorčič ◽  
Kaja Cizelj
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Life Experiences ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Health Issues ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Work And Health ◽  
Gender Capital

Over the last decade there have been substantial advances in understanding the gendered dimensions of ageing. Prior studies have mostly dealt with understanding the lives of older women while largely neglecting or omitting older men. The focus on women facing disadvantages in socio-economic and marital status has shifted to men’s post-work and health issues in the last few decades, and only recently to masculinities and gender capital in later life. Contemporary discussions on cultural and gender capital bring relevant recognition and somehow unintentionally reveal that gender can matter to the same extent or even more in old age than in childhood or adulthood. This article analyses the results of semi-structured in-depth interviews with 98 men aged 60 or more and other data collected in Slovenia as part of the Old Guys Erasmus+ project. The project results are in line with recent studies on gender capital and masculinities, and justify why older men should be seen, discussed and examined as individual agents who practice, perform and produce gender in later life too. They also explain why hegemonic masculinity is only one aspect of gendered life experiences and that different masculine realities stand alongside each other and are as necessary for men in later life as femininities are for women, particularly in contemporary societies where both aged men and women are seen and represented as de-gendered, un-gendered or even genderless.

Remembering the past, looking to the future: Christmas as a symbol of change in later life widowhood

2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1525-1549 ◽  
Author(s):  
TRACY COLLINS
Keyword(s):  
Longitudinal Data ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Personal Agency ◽  
The Past ◽  
Intergenerational Ties ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Continuity And Discontinuity

ABSTRACTMany older women experience the loss of a spouse or partner in later life. This paper explores older women's experiences of Christmas in order to locate process and meaning in relation to the transition of later life widowhood. Drawing on longitudinal data, derived from three in-depth interviews conducted over 18 months with 26 older widows, this paper presents a number of themes from the women's accounts of their Christmas celebrations and their Christmas cards. The importance of continuity, social relations and autonomy is situated in three emergent themes: ‘Family, intergenerational ties and tradition’, ‘Friendships, organisational ties and reciprocity’ and ‘Personal continuity and activation’. The significance of discontinuity, change and mediation is illustrated through three emergent themes: ‘Christmas as a catalyst for change’, ‘We are all widows’ and ‘Negotiating change with others’. The findings, including the positive aspects of continuity and discontinuity, demonstrate that Christmas is a potent symbol of both personal and social transformation during later life widowhood, and that the management of transition incorporates not only social relations, but also personal agency and flexibility. This paper further challenges the predominantly negative stereotype of older widows and illustrates their resilience and growth in the later stages of life.

Older women's perceptions of ideal body weights: the tensions between health and appearance motivations for weight loss

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 751-773 ◽  
Author(s):  
LAURA HURD CLARKE
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Ideal Body ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health Risks And Benefits

This paper explores older women's evaluations of their weight as well as the perceived merits and detriments of weight gain and weight loss in later life. Using data from semi-structured interviews with 22 community-dwelling women aged 61 to 92 years, I examine the meanings that the women attribute to dieting, desired body weights and obesity. The women frequently offer unsolicited accounts for why they have gained or lost weight over time, and disclose their perceptions of and reasons for needing to alter their current body weights. I probe the tensions between weight loss for health concerns versus appearance goals. The women express dissatisfaction with their weight gain in terms of their physical appearance. However, they also tend to describe the need to lose weight in terms of health risks and benefits rather than in terms of approximating the beauty ideal or achieving a desired body size and shape. Health tends to be described as a valid justification for being concerned with one's weight, while an appearance orientation is deemed to be indicative of vanity. Many of the women suggest that while the health benefits of weight loss are often the stated reason for losing weight, the perceived appearance dividends are the key motivation behind altering one's body weight in later life.

Older Women in New Romantic Relationships

2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wendy K. Watson ◽  
Charlie Stelle ◽  
Nancy Bell
Keyword(s):  
Romantic Relationships ◽  
Sexual Activity ◽  
Older Women ◽  
Sexual Desire ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Sexual Relationships ◽  
Collective Narratives ◽  
And Behaviors ◽  
Depth Interviews

Although research has found that sexual activity declines with age, most of this literature examines people in long-term marriages. Little is known about the initiation of new sexual relationships in later life. In-depth interviews with 14 women aged 64 to 77 years were conducted to examine their personal and collective narratives regarding sexuality in later life. In contrast to common perceptions, none of the participants felt that aging had negatively impacted their own sexuality. For many, this was a time in their lives when they were experiencing renewed sexual desire and enjoyment. Even though sex might not have held the same priority as when they were younger, it held a place of importance in their romantic relationships. The discussion focuses on understanding women’s sexual relationships and behaviors within the context of their cohort and lives.

Contested Knowledge and Information Behaviour: Treatments for Depression

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tami Oliphant
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Complementary And Alternative Medicine ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Award Winner ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Contested Knowledge ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Complementary And Alternative

A wide variety of treatment options for depressives have been developed by both the conventional and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) sectors. Using data collected from three online newsgroups as well as in-depth interviews, I analyze how people use information when making or justifying claims, or making decisions, about treatments for depression.Les personnes souffrant de dépression ont une grande variété d'options de traitement à leur disposition, y compris les méthodes conventionnelles et les méthodes complémentaires ou alternatives. À l'aide de données recueillies à partir de trois forums en ligne et d'entrevues en profondeur, j'ai analysé comment les gens utilisent cette information pour déclarer, justifier leurs déclarations ou encore choisir les traitements contre la dépression. ***Student to CAIS/ACSI Award Winner***

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