{"id":85187,"date":"2020-09-14T11:13:04","date_gmt":"2020-09-14T16:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/?p=85187"},"modified":"2024-09-27T10:00:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-27T15:00:27","slug":"uwm-professor-explores-nuanced-perceptions-of-aging-in-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uwm.edu\/news\/uwm-professor-explores-nuanced-perceptions-of-aging-in-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"51ÁÔÆæ professor explores nuanced perceptions of aging in culture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ellyn Lem sees the aging process as more than the black-and-white issue in which it is often portrayed in pop culture.<\/p>\n

Getting older isn\u2019t just about moving into a retirement community and \u201cover-the-hill\u201d balloons for birthday parties. It\u2019s also not just about finding the latest elixirs or exercise routines to stay fit or maintain a youthful complexion.<\/p>\n

The reality lies somewhere in between, said Lem, a 51ÁÔÆæ professor of English. In her new book, \u201cGray Matters: Finding Meaning in the Stories of Later Life<\/a>,\u201d she examines the nuances of aging through the lenses of film, literature and other works of art that focus on life for those 65 and older. Many of the works that she studies were created by older adults themselves.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are so much a culture that glorifies youth, and yet we are about to have a society dominated by those older than 65,\u201d said Lem, who is based at 51ÁÔÆæ\u2019s Waukesha campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are now novelists and filmmakers turning their attention to the latter years in life,\u201d Lem added. \u201cI want to look at how they help show us certain truths about the aging process but also how they might obscure it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Population getting older<\/h3>\n

She hopes to provide important insight for young and old alike as the U.S. population overall gets grayer thanks to the aging of the massive baby boom generation. All baby boomers will be at least 65 by 2030.<\/p>\n

According to U.S. Census Bureau projections<\/a>, the number of people 65 and older will outnumber those younger than 18 for the first time in the country\u2019s history by 2034.<\/p>\n

Lem got some inspiration a couple years ago after making trips to a bookstore. She was looking for titles about long-term care for older parents following conversations with her mother.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe funny thing is that there are walls of books about raising children,\u201d Lem said. \u201cBut in terms of books about understanding aging, they are in a tiny, little section and half of them are about death and that\u2019s it!<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really the germ behind my book, about how little that most people know about the aging process and how it affects us all.\u201d<\/p>\n

A stark portrayal of a queen<\/h3>\n

One section in her book looks at the works of the late British painter Lucian Freud, including his self-portraits that highlighted his wrinkles and craggy facial features. Freud was also known for a painting of Queen Elizabeth in 2001<\/a> that drew controversy for its, stark, up-close portrayal of the British monarch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt doesn\u2019t make her look like a kindly grandmother,\u201d Lem said. \u201cYou see imperfections. Those who were critical of the work argued that it didn\u2019t look regal enough.\u201d<\/p>\n

But, Lem added, the work can also be appreciated for portraying the queen as human being with depth and complexity.<\/p>\n

Life expectations<\/h3>\n

Lem also draws from gerontology research and an in-depth surveys with older adults on their life experiences. Lem didn\u2019t quantify responses, but did pull out some examples of answers.<\/p>\n

One survey question was \u201cWhat is one piece of advice you would give your 21-year-old self?\u201d The answers included:<\/p>\n