Older people
Representations of older people tend to focus on things like deafness, grumpiness and not being as able as they once were. This creates a A conventional and standard view of someone or a type of people. of old age
The process of growing old is not always represented positively by the media with many adverts for anti-ageing products representing ageing as something to be challenged or if possible reversed.
Images of older women on the covers of women's magazines or in television adverts for anti-ageing products will have been airbrushed through digital manipulation in post-production so that most signs of ageing are removed.
Catherine Tate's Nan character is grumpy, intolerant and a An amusing imitation. of the dominant stereotypical representation of older people in the media.
Catherine Tate's Nan is a stereotypical representation of older people
However there are some positive representations of older people in the media.
In the action-adventure films, Red and Red 2, the representations of old people challenge and subvert the negative stereotypes of pensioners.
The characters show old people as energetic and not prepared to sit around all day in their retirement, they are instead, Retired and Extremely Dangerous (RED).
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel offers a more realistic portrait of older people. The characters convey complex emotions and explore relationships in the same way as teenagers in a romantic comedy would, showing that older people still have many of the same experiences as younger people.
