Between Television and the Audience: Negotiating Representations of Ageing

Abstract
The `greying' of populations - the demographic shift in which general populations are `ageing older' - has raised concerns over the future needs of tomorrow's elderly population and contributed to changes in the public persona of elderly people. Traditional representations such as the `frail elderly' are now complemented by newer representations such as the `remarkably' youthful elderly. This article explores the ways a group of lower socio-economic status women draw upon representations of the active and inactive elderly evident in a television documentary, when making sense of the contemporary search for the fountain of youth. Participants' discussion of the programme reveals complex relationships among notions of consumer choice, scientific progress and religion. We conclude by exploring the implications of depictions of the active and inactive elderly in framing the contemporary search for the fountain of youth.

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