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I don’t watch The Bachelor because I don’t want to see women throw themselves at men. Ever. In any context.

But I can’t help but cheer Gerry Turner, the 72-year-old star of the new TV series The Golden Bachelor.  He’s obviously handsome by any standard. And he wears a hearing aid.

Can we please normalize being old and sexy at the same time? Yes, it’s easier for older men to be seen as sexy than it is for older women to be seen that way. But still. People can be sexy and sexual at any age.

And can we also destigmatize hearing aids? You can lose your hearing anytime, and the consequences of untreated hearing loss can be huge. Yet because hearing aids are seen as “old people” technology, some folks who really need hearing aids aren’t willing to wear them.

We can change all this, though. This show is a step in a more enlightened direction. At least, I hope it is. Given the ageist coverage and denture jokes, I’m not 100% confident about that.

Let’s hope that Gerry can land a one-two punch against the ideas that sexy has an age and that hearing aids are uncool.

 

 

According to GQ magazine, Kendrick Lamar likes “rich old lady clothes.”

Before you saw Lamar’s photo, did that phrase give you an image of what he was wearing?

If so, why?

Because an “old lady” wears a specific type of clothing? Frumpy, fussy, lots of pearl jewelry?

Clothes don’t actually have an age. People have an age. But people of all ages wear all different types of clothing, sometimes ironically.

I guess in Lamar’s case, the “rich” part refers to the Chanel pants and sunglasses.

I’m not sure what’s “old lady” about Lamar’s outfit in that photo. But I do know that “old lady clothes” is a term that makes me cringe. I doubt any woman wearing Lamar’s outfit would like being called a “rich old lady.” Though I guess it’s better than “little old lady,” which is belittling and disempowering.

I think Lamar’s look could be described as elegant, glamorous, old-money, Chanel-esque, comfortably rich, maybe even a little feminine. All of which is more descriptive and doesn’t rely on ageist stereotypes.

Answer next week.