Create your own stories!

​I am reading an inspirational book, "Women in Late Life: Critical Perspective on Gender and Age" by Martha Holstein. I will spend the next few posts sharing some of her thoughts that resonate with me.
She thoroughly identifies the power of  our society to shape how we come to see ourselves and strongly suggests we challenge the cultural imagery by creating our own stories.
Case studies remind us that old women are faced with the burden of a double  prejudice; sexism and ageism. Old women who do not meet the imposed expectations of "good" old people have, face the very subtle and constant barrage of skewed marketing . Those would be the images and stories of those privileged people who can extend their midlife through actions requiring resources not available to those of lower class and misfortune. 
Health promotion and the pursuit of 'optimal health' have become meaningful social practices...defining new late-life stereotypes that go beyond what we look like and pressure us to measure up to ideals that are increasingly normalized. This pursuit of the optimal can result in a widening gap between the affluent, who have the resources to seek these ends, and those who do not.
It is truly ironic that initiatives intended to improve life, actually  contribute to the burden of the most vulnerable.
We must  create new meanings for old age by sharing our own stories.

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