THE AGING FEMALE BODY AGEIST BEAUTY NORMS AND SOCIAL EXCLUSION: FROM INTERNALIZATION TO RESISTANCE

摘要

The preservation of youth is a main issue in Western societies resulting in the predominance of ageist beauty norms. Our research aims to determine whether these standards have negative effects on older women and lead them to experience social exclusion. Favouring a qualitative approach, this research is based on individual interviews with 20 women aged 64 to 83, lasting an average of 1h45, and analyzed using a thematic approach. The participant’s discourses reveal the internalization of beauty norms focussed on youth and the perceived pressure to attain these. Even though some women feel socially excluded by others due to an aging body, these ageist beauty norms mostly lead to experiences of self-social exclusion (choice of clothing, social activities that required a bare body, engagement in new intimate relationships). However, the results reveal that many are critical of these beauty standards, highlighting their agency against the exclusion of older female bodies.