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Youthfulness and Fitness—Identity Ideals for All Ages?

Youthfulness and Fitness—Identity Ideals for All Ages? In a consumer society the body is a symbol of one's identity. We have witnessed new images for elderly people, especially the young-old. The focus of this article is on a descriptive study on the importance of youthfulness and fitness among Swedish individuals of different ages. The empirical study among 1,250 Swedish participants ranging in age from 20 to 85 years shows youthfulness and fitness to be a uni-age phenomenon. More than 7 out of 10 participants in the study report lower subjective ages (Feel-Age, Ideal-Age, and Look-Age) than their chronological ages. Fitness activities and slenderness ideals seem to be important independent of age group. This could be interpreted as representing a changing lifecourse with new, more positive images of old age. On the other hand, it could be interpreted as a new, subtler form of ageism. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal of Aging and Identity Springer Journals

Youthfulness and Fitness—Identity Ideals for All Ages?

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Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 by Human Sciences Press, Inc.
Subject
Social Sciences; Sociology, general
ISSN
1087-3732
eISSN
1573-3491
DOI
10.1023/A:1009524612420
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

In a consumer society the body is a symbol of one's identity. We have witnessed new images for elderly people, especially the young-old. The focus of this article is on a descriptive study on the importance of youthfulness and fitness among Swedish individuals of different ages. The empirical study among 1,250 Swedish participants ranging in age from 20 to 85 years shows youthfulness and fitness to be a uni-age phenomenon. More than 7 out of 10 participants in the study report lower subjective ages (Feel-Age, Ideal-Age, and Look-Age) than their chronological ages. Fitness activities and slenderness ideals seem to be important independent of age group. This could be interpreted as representing a changing lifecourse with new, more positive images of old age. On the other hand, it could be interpreted as a new, subtler form of ageism.

Journal

Journal of Aging and Identity – Springer Journals

Published: Oct 21, 2004

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