the maturity of the 21st century against prejudice

Age is the least important thing, what matters is attitude. It doesn’t matter how many years you are, but how many years you have left to live. These phrases – and many others – have resonated for a couple of decades, as part of a manifesto that expresses the impetus of the older adult groupwho in the vast majority disagree with the label, as well as with the label of senior citizens.

Because they are people who, in their sixties or seventies, They are not willing to go into winter quarters., they do not accept the cone of shadow with which the world darkens them and they do not admit that they are discriminated against for being old. They reinvent themselves and take a step forward without caring if it turns out to be a false step.

The mother of Elon Musk (founder of SpaceX, owner of Twitter and CEO of Tesla), Maye, is the beautiful Canadian who At 60 she no longer dyed her hair. (millions of women left their gray hair) and today, at 75, she not only set a trend, but her life turned 180 degrees.

Nutritionist and model (she started taking XL photos and then lost 18 kilos), appeared on Special K.2 cereal boxes, participated in Revlon advertisements, in a Beyoncé video and She posed naked several times on magazine covers, over 62 years old. In 2011 she did it with a fake pregnant belly, on the cover of New York magazine, recreating the famous photo of Demi Moore by Annie Leibovitz.

Another anthological case was Iris Apfel -businesswoman, interior designer- who at the age of 97 signed her first contract as a model and inspired with her original way of dressing. She died in March of this year, Iris said that she doesn’t need youth to have fun. She was not afraid of ridicule or the criticism that came from young people.

“Why is there a cult of youth and a disdain for us seasoned veterans?” she wondered. Among Argentines, Mrs. Mirtha Legrand, with her 97th, is national pride. Memorable, updated and always impeccable, lives surrounded by family and popular affection, and moved by her great passion, her work. A super silver.

What is the Silver generation, who belongs to it and why is it considered with special interest in much of the world? they form it baby boomersborn between 1946 and 1964 – according to most specialists on the subject – which implies that today they are between 56 and 74 years old.

Generally speaking, the silver (silver, in English, which refers to the color of gray hair) have more than 50, They lived half a century but they still feel young. Their bio-chronological age does not correspond to that of their DNI and they have an attitude whereby they are not willing to lose their quality of life because they have projects. This look toward the future leads them to take care of their health and be careful with their finances.

An important factor that characterizes this populated segment is the increase in longevity, which for James Vaupel – American, scientist in biodemography, researcher on aging – has to do with the increase in life expectancy. Two and a half years of increase are counted per decade, which increases the average life limit beyond 85 years. It cannot be generalized, of course. And it cannot be denied that it will affect the sustainability of the social and economic model.

Without a doubt, the new generations will have to continue working longer and there will be – it is already a fact – a shift in the retirement age. For those over 60, with well-paid retirements and health, an endless vacation begins and the opportunity to decide how they want to live the last third of their life. Each one will know what generates well-being and, if possible, they will make it a reality. It is time to address postponed plans and make them concrete.

For this reason, the market offers cosmetics, tourism, courses and entertainment, focused on satisfying the needs of the silver or creating them. Thus, specific advice arises, such as financial advice, to guide on investments, profitability and purchases, to this generation willing to spendbecause most do not think about leaving an inheritance.

“Surround yourself only with what you love and that makes you happy or is useful to you.. You should know that not having enough will not make you happy, but you will not achieve happiness if you have too much” says Dr. Antoni M. Lluch in his book Silver generation. A new lifestyle. Now the best begins (Almuzara Editorial).

Against this vital drive of the silver, those who abhor it rise up, enrolled in ageism. What is it? A set of prejudices, stereotypes and discrimination They apply to older or younger people, simply depending on their age. A specific example is the underestimation of young people towards older people who do not know how to compute or use a cell phone. And, vice versa, the criticism that old people make of the tattoos that young people wear.

That is to say, ageism is related to the way we understand old age and aging; with our intergenerational relationships and how we perpetuate stereotypes and preconceived ideas about older or younger people, thus limiting the understanding of diversity and heterogeneity.

There is an institutional ageism that is exercised from the institutions through services, norms and laws; and there is another unconscious or conscious, on a personal level, that encompasses all the words and actions of those who, on a personal basis, discriminate based on age. We are not born prejudiced, although we become so. Among its harmful effects, it is detected lower life expectancy, worse physical, mental and emotional health and greater isolation and loneliness. As a counterpart – fortunately – there are examples that destroy ageisms.

An emblematic case is the marriage between Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, the love story between a teenager – today president of France – and his theater teacher, 25 years older. They debunked the myth of the odd couple, accepted in its reverse version, that of the large man with a much younger woman. Here, in our country, intergenerational coexistence is often fluid and respectful.

In NGOs you see all ages aligned in pursuit of a common interest. In university classes, the classroom is shared in harmony between the silvers and the adolescents. On the other hand, activists against ageism and in favor of “maturescence” -neologism for reinvention after midlife- work without haste or pause from different social and political organizations.

Viva attended a talk Fabulousa platform that brings together a mix of artistic activities and workshops about people +50. There we spoke with Flora Proverbio, Eve Grynberg and Verónica Martínez Castro, the latter being members of the Marianne, an organization of Franco-Argentine women, whose name alludes to the symbolic figure of the French Republic and its values ​​of freedom, equality and fraternity, and that supports these actions.

Flora Proverbio, a consultant specialized in longevity and the silver economy, is the author of the book Silver triangles. Sexual intelligence to live desire in adulthood. (Galerna) illustrated with the images of the French photographer, based in our country, Eve Grynberg. They are both silver and work for convey a positive message about aging.

Flora interviewed hundreds of women of different nationalities who crossed the symbolic threshold of half a century and surveyed more than a thousand who belong to Plateadas, the online community that she coordinates. She put the focus on sexuality, eroticism and desire at this stage, where enjoyment plays an essential role.

“We have the right to feel pleasure, to touch ourselves and be touched. We were taught that sex was linked to romance, while men were told that sex and love could be dissociated. We are leaving behind those dark times and Our sex life can be a colossal source of physical and emotional well-being. We are approaching new ways of accessing enjoyment. For centuries, women were educated to please others, when it comes to liking ourselves first,” she said.

Eve, for her part, took the erotic photos in the book – “they were sessions produced with great respect and love” – ​​and does not stop working for make silver people visible. From Argentina and France and soon from Uruguay and Brazil, he fights against ageism and seeks to change society’s stereotypes through his photographs.

Co-creator – along with Dr. Verónica Martínez Castro – of Fabulosas, Eve held an exhibition with portraits from Flora’s book, which illustrate this note. “There is no need to resist the passage of time, we are all going to grow old. I want to show how to make friends with these changes… We are fabulous but we are made invisible. Even less is the eroticization of mature women shown,” declared Eve.

In addition to her photo shoots, she gives inspirational talks and models for designers seeking inclusivity. She also co-founded Las Intrépidas Silver with friends of hers, who They exchange reflections on the passage of time with Argentine designers and creators. An action that triggered the Think Big Program, an initiative of Bid Lab, Endeavor Uruguay and Xeniors, founded with the aim of promoting the creation of innovative solutions for the 50+ population.

“Portraiting older people allows me go beyond beauty stereotypes. The fact that women are the ones who are most encouraged also has to do with the fact that today we feel freer. To portray a woman is to portray her natural, sophisticated or sexy femininity. And changing; because while we reinvent ourselves, we seek to build our own identity,” said Grynberg.

Lawyer Martínez Castro, who is self-taught in the art of collage and an ad honorem illustrator for Marie Claire magazine, contributed a much more interesting concept. “There is a global obligation to lead others to become the best version of themselvesregardless of age, gender or social origin” he concluded.