Ageism is definitely a pervasive and disturbing topic. As Agepros, we are especially sensitive to it. As a former advertising agency leader, I also consider it from the lenses of products and messaging. One product category that is particularly egregious, at least to me, is ageist greeting cards. Greeting cards have been top of mind since I recently celebrated a birthday. If you are in your 40s, 50s or 60s, or even turning 30, the possibility of receiving an ageist card is relatively high. The Hallmark card pictured throughout this post is from the greeting card section of CVS. Ageism is alive and well.
If ageist greeting cards are still popular in our culture, how can we #combatageism? Aging is mocked at a time it should literally be celebrated. Do greeting card companies believe humor diffuses the negative impact of ageist messages?
According to AgeFriendlyVibes (see link to article below), the birth of the ageist birthday card can at least partially be traced back to a Hallmark greeting card character named Maxine, who was born in 1986 and is still around today. Not only is Maxine a stereotyped sharp tongued “old lady” herself, but she has many derogatory things to say about aging in a sarcastic way believed to be humorous. Sadly, this research also reveals that people who internalize feelings of ageism have a lifespan decreased by 7.5 years. Ageist birthday cards (paper or digital) firmly plant negative seeds, with comments like these:
- You look so young for an old person.
- There’s an old saying about how great it is to get older. Too bad I can’t remember what it is.
- Another birthday. Do you see wrinkles? Do you see gray hair? Of course, you don’t. Your eyesight is gone
- 50. I’m officially a grumpy old man.
The Gerontologist (May 2024 issue) published a study of ageist birthday cards (see link to article below). The results validate the problem. Specifically, birthday cards intended for ages 30–60 contained significantly more ageist messages compared to cards intended for age 21 and ages 70–100, which did not show a significant difference from each other. Additionally, birthday cards with humor showed more ageist messages than cards without humor. Does this research suggest that turning 70+ is so old it is not a subject for ageist humor? Maybe it is viewed as a celebratory miracle to still be alive at 70+?
What should be done? Greeting card companies should consider only marketing birthday cards that present a positive message about aging. To participate in a thought leadership discussion or if you have comments to share, please reach out to us at info@agepros.net.
You can also visit us at https://www.theagencydd.com if you would like help creating appropriate, relevant messaging targeted to older adults.
https://agefriendlyvibes.com/blogs/news/maxine-the-birth-of-the-ageist-birthday-card
https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article-abstract/64/5/gnad115/7262886
