Ageism In Advertising Essay

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Our society discriminates against people based on their age; this issue is known as ageism. Ageism affects every age group in different ways. Our society sets up rules on what is acceptable for people to do based on their age. The media also plays a major role in the prejudice views of these age groups, whether it’s from a TV commercial or a magazine ad. When you think of commercials on TV, there are either negative or positive views of people being displayed. Majority of the views on commercials are negative, because they give preconceive notions of the elderly through social aspects, health or work ability. While commercials make the middle class people look healthy, socially accepted and beautiful. When we all know, that is not the way…show more content…
One of their care givers was dropping off drinks to them, as they were talking amongst themselves. One of the seniors keep blurting out random words because he could not make out what the TV commercial they were watching was saying. Their care giver then interrupts them and says, “I’m pretty sure they said the Chevy Cruze echo gets up to 40 mpg.” She then walks off as if she was upset the man couldn’t hear the TV. At the end of the commercial the guy who can’t hear says, “Cut the TV up.” This commercial not only shows one form of a stereotype against the elderly but a few. The first was the elderly being in a nursing home. The seniors in the commercials looked more than able to take care of themselves still. The fact that the commercial focused more on the man not being able to hear emphasizes the negative views elderly people get placed upon them. Not all seniors lose their hearing and need help to take care of themselves when are considered to have reached old age. Although we know these things these stereotypes still exist. Other commercials you mainly see elderly in are medical commercials, like Life alert or the commercial where an old lady is on the floor saying, “Help I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” Yes, it is good to have equipment that can save people lives, but the elderly is not the only ones who need

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