How many times have you referred to yourself as ‘too old’ or ‘too young’ for something? Have you blamed your forgetfulness on a ‘senior moment’ or your sore neck on ‘being over 30’?

I’ll be honest, before I found out about Ashton Applewhite’s work, they were comments I made ALL the time. But, remarks like these as well as a whole host of other behaviors are acts of ageism - something Ashton calls the ‘last socially sanctioned prejudice’ & it’s damaging to everyone because guess what? We’re all aging!

So how can we push back against this discrimination and age positively in a society that’s obsessed with youth? That’s what we’re going to tackle today.

Ashton, is a journalist, pro aging radical and the author of This Chair Rocks - A Manifesto Against Anti-Aging.

CONNECT WITH US Connect with ⁠That's Helpful on Instagram. Find Ashton on ⁠Instagram⁠ & via ⁠her website.

BOOKS This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

OTHER MENTIONS Old School: Anti-Ageism Clearing House Ed’s programme for ABC RN including Holdsworth Homeshare

Want to become a podcast sponsor, got some feedback for me or just fancy a chat? Email me - thatshelpful@edstott.com

TIMESTAMPS 

00:00:00 - Intro

00:01:20 - Ashton’s evolving relationship with aging

00:02:42 - The truth about aging

00:06:30 - The damage of generalisations

00:09:30 - Where does our fear of aging come from?

00:11:30 - The impact of social media on ageism 

00:13:30 - The hidden harms of ageism 

00:17:00 - How to push back against ageism 

00:24:00 - Striving for a world where age is less important

00:26:30 - The importance of having friends of all ages 

00:28:27 - Ageism is not a given

00:31:05 - True diversity 00:34:20 - Ageism is a part of many more conversations now

00:39:15 - The one thing to remember