NewsNational News

Actions

Age in America: Old age stereotypes in Hollywood

We hear from an expert about how American stereotypes of aging appear onscreen and how we can all work to improve them.
1583412385_39bCTi.jpg
Posted at 7:36 PM, Jun 21, 2024

All this week Scripps News presents age in America, in partnership with WorkingNation. We're looking at the challenges facing younger and older Americans, and looking for solutions.

Representations of older people in film and TV tend to fall into stereotypes, like the eccentric old man, the comic foil or the older woman often left to represent all things bad.

And people who work with older Americans are also working to address issues of aging, both in real life and on screen.

Scripps News spoke with Dr. Tracey Gendron, the executive director for the Virginia Center on Aging at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of the book "Ageism Unmasked: Exploring age bias and how to end it." She explains how the American stereotypes of aging appear onscreen and how we can all work to improve them.

Related stories:
Age in America: Ways of addressing the retirement crisis
Age in America: What experienced professionals can provide as schoolteachers