Facing Age: Women Growing Older in Anti-Aging Culture (Diversity and Aging)

177 Pages·2010·0.56 MB·English

by  Laura Hurd Clarke

Facing Age
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Diversity and Aging
Series Editor
Toni Calasanti
Virginia Tech
The elder population is not only growing in size, but also becoming
more diverse—including differences in gender, race, ethnicity,
class, and sexuality—and the experiences of aging people can vary
dramatically. Books in this series explore this diversity, focusing
on the ways that these social inequalities, along with ageism, shape
experiences of growing old. The series will illustrate the challenges
and opportunities that diversity and aging present for society, both
now and in the future.
Facing Age: Women Growing Older in Anti-Aging Culture
Laura Hurd Clarke
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Facing Age
Women Growing Older
in Anti-Aging Culture
Laura Hurd Clarke
ROWMAN & LITTLEFIELD PUBLISHERS, INC.
Lanham (cid:129) Boulder (cid:129) New York (cid:129) Toronto (cid:129) Plymouth, UK
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Published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com
Estover Road, Plymouth PL6 7PY, United Kingdom
Copyright © 2011 by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval
systems, without written permission from the publisher, except by a reviewer
who may quote passages in a review.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Clarke, Laura Hurd, 1969–
Facing age : women growing older in anti-aging culture / Laura Hurd Clarke.
p. cm. — (Diversity and aging)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-4422-0759-2 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4422-0760-8 (pbk. :
alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-4422-0761-5 (electronic)
1. Beauty, Personal. 2. Middle-aged women—Psychology. 3. Aging—
Psychological aspects. 4. Middle-aged women—Physiological aspects. 5.
Feminine beauty (Aesthetics) 6. Self-esteem in women. I. Title.
HQ1219.C53 2011
306.4’613—dc22 2010023866
(cid:2)
™
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper
for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992.
Printed in the United States of America
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To Ayden and Alyssa, with all my love.
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Contents
Acknowledgments ix
1 Introduction 1
Overview of the Book 5
Methods and Samples 8
Strengths and Limitations of the Studies 16
2 Theorizing the Aging and Aged Woman’s Face, Body,
and Embodied Experience 19
Women and Body Image 20
Women and the Feminine Beauty Ideal 21
Beauty Ideology and Social Positioning 24
Ageism and Beauty Ideology 28
Older Women and Embodiment 31
Medicalization and the Aging Female Body 34
Theoretically Situating This Book 35
3 Embodied Appearance in Later Life: What Older Women
Have to Say 37
Older Women, Aging Bodies, and Body Image 38
The Power of the Reflected Image 43
The Losing Battle of Weight Gain 45
Gray Matters: Older Women and Their Hair 53
vii
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viii Contents
Shifting Priorities and Pragmatic Acceptance 61
Summary and Conclusions 63
4 Anti-aging Medicine, Wrinkles, and the Moral Imperative
to Modify the Aging Face 69
The Rise of Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures 70
Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures and Aging: The
Perspectives of Physicians 74
Interviews with Women before the Rise of Non-surgical
Cosmetic Procedures 82
Interviews with Women after the Development of
Non-surgical Cosmetic Procedures 87
Summary and Conclusions 96
5 Imaging Aging: Media Messages and the Perspectives of
Older Women 103
Beauty and Aging in Print Advertisements 106
Older Women Reflect on the Body and Face of
Beauty in the Media 109
“Aging Is a Serious Problem”: Women, Ageism Discourses,
and Beauty Work 118
Summary and Conclusions 126
6 Women and Aging: The Face of the Future 131
Conclusion 138
References 141
Index 159
About the Author 165
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Acknowledgments
This book would not have happened if Toni Calasanti had not
afforded me the opportunity, encouragement, and mentorship
required to bring it to fruition. I am truly grateful and have learned
more than I could have imagined through this process. Thank you.
This book would also not have happened without the undying
patience and love of my husband, Darryl, the enthusiastic cheerlead-
ing of my dearest friend, Tricia, the sage advice of my colleagues at
the University of British Columbia, the assistance of people like Al-
exandra Korotchenko, Andrea Bundon, and Meridith Griffin, or the
inspiration of my parents and grandparents. To all of you, I extend my
deepest and most heartfelt appreciation.
Finally, I am entirely indebted to all of the women who have partici-
pated in my research and who have given so generously of their time
over the past 10 years. Your willingness to share your stories, strength,
and pain has changed my life forever.
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