Aging and Body Image

Contributor: Leigh Bell, BA, writer for Eating Disorder Hope

Body image research has focused mostly on young women, which makes sense given the common pubescent onset of eating disorders, but older people also go through obvious, and sometimes challenging, physical changes.

The wrinkles, sagging skin, thinning and graying hair. Inevitably doesn’t necessarily make it easier because beneath the aging self, remains “messages to be thin and stay young from mainstream U.S. culture.”¹

The Embedded Societal Message of Aging

These messages — and what society deems attractive — seem inscribed in the minds of many women and men, and continue to shape their behavior as they age. Meanwhile, the modern-day market tells us to fight off aging and sells us lunch-hour facelifts, anti-aging creams, and Viagra. Magazine covers bark: “Look 10 years younger” or “How to look younger without makeup.”

Growing old is imminent and inescapable, and yet, many still struggle with their aging bodies. The number of injections to iron out wrinkles, like Botox, increased by 6% last year, totaling 6.7 million procedures, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). That’s more than 18,000 injections a day. All together last year people underwent 15.6 million cosmetic procedures, and an increasing percentage of these were done on men, the organization reports².

How Men and Women Deal with Aging

Women, young and old, are more dissatisfied than men with their bodies in general, yet aging males placed greater importance on their appearance than women, and also report high levels of body dissatisfaction, according to an examination between body image and self-esteem across time and age for men and women, age 20 to 86³.

Obviously men are not free from pressures to look a particular way, but society seems to think men wear age better than women. Grey hair on a guy can be distinguished and even sexy, but not so much on a woman. A muffin top on an aging man gives him the endearing “Dad bod,” but is ridiculed on a woman.

Finding a Turning Point in Body Image

Still with age comes wisdom, and some research finds women 50 years and older are more appreciative of their bodies than their younger counterparts. Research finds women make a turning point in their lives, often around the age of 50, where they can — or maybe they have to — accept their bodies “decreasing departure from society’s defined ideal and learn to appreciate their body as it is.”

Community Discussion – Share your thoughts here!

How has aging impacted your body image? What changes have you seen within yourself and your loved ones in regards to body image and age? Are these changes different between women and men?

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About the Author:

Leigh Bell holds a Bachelor of Arts in English with minors in Creative Writing and French from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. She is a published author, journalist with 15 years of experience, and a recipient of the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism. Leigh is recovered from a near-fatal, decade-long battle with anorexia and the mother of three young, rambunctious children.

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References:

1. Altschuler, J., Katz, A. (2010). Keeping your eye on the process: Body image,
   older women, and countertransference. Journal of Gerontological Social Work, 53, 200–214.
2. Plastic Surgery Statistics Show New Consumer Trends. (2015, February 26). Retrieved June 7, 2015.
3. Mellor, D., Fuller-Tyszkiewicz, M., McCabe, M., Ricciardelli, L. (2010). Body image and self-esteem across age and gender: A short-term longitudinal study. Sex Roles, 63(9-10), 672-681.

Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on June 19th, 2015
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com