Ageism is so pervasive in our society, and even something that seems innocuous like the terrible birthday cards for Olders can drive me crazy!
I hate the Over the Hill messages on birthday cards. That’s not how I feel!
When we talked with Janine Vanderburg of Changing the Narrative, she mentioned that in their research they saw the Over the Hill messages start as young as when we hit 30!
The Typical Olders’ Birthday Cards
If you buy a birthday card for an older person right now (or get one yourself), you’ll be absolutely inundated with negative messages with older people portrayed as sleepy, cranky, weak, and they’ll make you feel bad about aging.
But we want to celebrate our age, our experience, and our lives. We know that as we get older, we acquire insights, skills, the ability to forge more connections, etc.
Changing the Narrative wanted to turn the depressing narrative into one of celebration!
Celebrating the Fact that We Get to Age
To tackle this issue, Changing the Narrative hired a diverse group of Colorado artists to design anti-ageist birthday cards. These beautiful, unique designs defy the ageist “over the hill” or “down hill from here” stereotypes and celebrate the joys of getting older!
They wanted to create other options to not only change how we talk about aging, but help to shine a more positive light on getting older.
Have a friend, family member, or even your own birthday coming up? Tell them you want an anti-ageist birthday card!
You can shop directly online and even keep a supply on hand. There are plenty of options to help your friends and family celebrate your age, wisdom, and experience instead of deriding the downhill, depressing views of aging.
Some of the Anti-Ageist Cards
