For many years, our society has viewed the aging process as a negative marker in a female's life. To some, it is seen as the end of a female's youth and beauty all together. Menopause or " the change" is the part of aging that brings forth these disturbing thoughts. According to Alexander, LaRosa, Bader, Garfield & Alexander (2010),in the United States, menopause is a difficult experience for women. Physical and emotional changes have made it hard for women to embrace the experience with open arms. I must admit, previously, when thinking about a menopausal woman, I would imagine a female who was depressed and agitated all the time. These thoughts were mostly due to images portrayed in the media.
In recent years there has been a change in the way the media portrays this process. I have viewed several ads which celebrate the aging process. Many of those ads use celebrities to relate to the public. HRT ads use celebrity spokeswomen who have reached menopausal age to relate to everyday women in society. I believe that this marketing tactic has been beneficial in changing the way society as a whole view this topic. After all, menopause is a natural experience and like child birth it should be welcomed. The key is to provide resources for women to deal with the changes at various levels. Menopause is not the end of a female's life. It is simply one experience within the aging process. There are so many other positive experiences that can be associated with age such as, family,love, strength and wisdom to name a few. I hope that one day our society can move pass the changes in appearance and focus on other positive aspects of aging.
References:
Alexander, L., LaRosa, J., Bader, H., Garfield, S., & Alexander, W. (2010). New dimensions in women's health (5th ed.). Sunbury, MA.: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Hi Martinetta, I like your opinions in your blog. I like how you mentioned the media as a major player in how society view menopause. It's true that they have done a better job at shedding light on the subject of aging and all it's components by using known women to be the spokeswomen. The Dove Beauty Campaigns come to mind while thinking about this topic. Putting more of an emphasis on the positive aspects of aging and menopause rather than the physical and negative aspects will help society in general to shape a more positive attitude towards the transition. Thank you~Heather Noe
ReplyDeleteExperience of getting older differs from culture to culture. In Asian countries women gain respect when they enters into their middle age. In other cultures they are community leaders. It is a belief held by many cultures, that life after menopause is a time of strength, courage and wisdom. But, culture in America promotes youth. You are right that media is changing the view of people about menopause. Women viewed menopause negatively and now not so much but, it’s still not welcomed by most. I think if women can go through puberty, menstrual cycle and, childbirth menopause should be another stepping stone.
ReplyDeleteSubuk Usmani
Hi , you are very right about everything you said I really know what your talking about it is crazy how much the media is doing to effect out girls and women even my self .
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