Midlife and Beyond: Issues for Aging Women

The issues related to aging are becoming more evident in Western culture as the baby boomers reach middle age and beyond. According to Armbrust (2001), by 2014, for the first time in the world, there will be more older people than younger" (p. 4). Although both genders experience the effects of aging and there are an increasing number of men with body dissatisfaction (Pope, Phillips, & Olivardia, 2000), the standards of our culture seem to create more problems for women as they move through their middle and later years. The emphasis on youth and beauty is overwhelmingly apparent in advertising, television, movies, and print media. Women are constantly bombarded with visual images of young women and ads promising youthful looks forever. This immersion in a culture in which youth is worshipped can cause serious problems for women as they age, ranging from low self-esteem to depression and anxiety. Women seem to be more vulnerable than men to the pressure from society to conform to its expectations and, as a result, face more questions about self-worth as they enter the middle years of their lives. The purpose of this article is to explore (a) ageism as it relates to men and women; (b) the double standard of body image in our culture; (c) the role played by the media in setting standards for beauty; (d) the impact that the emphasis on physical appearance has on aging women, especially in terms of self-concept; and (e) the implications of these issues for counseling. AGEISM AS IT RELATES TO MEN AND WOMEN Ageism was coined in 1969 by Robert Butler, the first director of the National Institute of Aging, and he defined it as discrimination against people because they are old. Today, the term is more broadly defined as "any prejudice or discrimination against or in favor of an age group" (Palmore, as cited in Robinson, 1994, "What is 'Ageism'" section, [paragraph] 1). According to Woolf (1998), some of the contributing factors to ageism are fear of death, emphasis on the youth culture in American society, and emphasis on productivity in American culture. Ageism seems to be much more prevalent in "Westernized" cultures (Pocuca, 2002), and although ageism affects both genders, women tend to be more negatively influenced by the prejudice against older adults than are men. According to Sontag (1979), "society is much more permissive about aging in men, as it is more tolerant of sexual infidelities of husbands" ([paragraph] 5). Also, most positive traits associated with masculinity actually increase with age (e.g., competence, autonomy, self-control, and power), whereas feminine characteristics such as sweetness, passivity, noncompetitiveness, and gentleness usually remain stable as women age. Because women's wisdom is considered to be "age-old, intuitive knowledge about the emotions" (Sontag, 1979, [paragraph] 5), aging adds nothing to "feminine" knowledge. Men, on the other hand, valued for their rational, intellectual minds, actually benefit from aging because experience tends to increase this type of knowledge. Also, because the business of men in our culture is about being and doing, rather than appearing, the standards for appearance weigh less heavily on men than on women (Sontag, 1979).Women are set up to fail in a system that defines success for men in terms of productivity and accomplishment and designates beauty and sexiness as the measure of success for women. Women cannot maintain their youthful looks as they age--despite creams, cosmetics, and surgeries--and thus they often feel pressured to defend themselves against aging at all costs. UNATTAINABLE BEAUTY Currently, the ideal female body, exemplified by models, actresses, and Miss America contestants, represents the thinnest 5% of women (Wolszon, 1998). Thus, 95% of women do not measure up to the standards of physical attractiveness they see on a daily basis. According to Kilhourne (as cited in Wolszon, 1998), "survey data indicate that three fourths of normal-weight women in the United States feel fat, more than half of adult women are on a diet, and one study showed that nearly 80% of fourth grade girls are watching their weight" (p. …