Outlined clearly and succinctly from the outset, the main purpose and objective of Representing Ageing: Images and Identities is to explore some of the key social and cultural factors that construct contemporary processes of ageing. This is achieved by the bringing together of 12 research chapters written by different authors, variously examining the constructed nature of ageing found in several mediated texts and images (such as web and TV advertising and print media), and the discursive accounts of predominantly middle-aged and older (usually female) informants of their attitudes, beliefs and opinions about ageing.
The central concepts that underpin each chapter in this edited collection are identity and image, themes that construct a critical, overarching theoretical framework which connects each of the chapters. In the introduction, Ylänne briefly reviews: how conceptualisations of identity and identities have progressed over time, leading to reflection on the ‘discursive turn’, which, she argues, aids in understanding the interplay between the social and the personal in ageing; representations and ideologies of ageing, in which she examines the role of media in producing and perpetuating age discourses, including key myths of ageing that come to be naturalised, internalised and sometimes taken for granted by individuals and those who construct images of ageing consumers; and ageing in the twenty-first century, a short discussion that outlines the timeliness of this publication and indicates the importance of context to the study of contemporary processes of ageing. Following the introduction, the chapters are organised into three parts relating to these themes: Part One examines Age-targeted and Advertising Images; Part Two focuses on Appearance, Clothing and Fashion Images; and Part Three explores Self, Family and Community Images.
A major achievement of this edited collection is that in bringing the themes of identity, image and context together, Ylänne emphasises the importance of the interplay between individuals' own age identifications and the ways in which ageing is represented ideologically through different media. This is reflected by the structure of the book in that each of the empirical studies discussed presents findings that provide useful context for the next.
As a whole, this collection of chapters is undoubtedly well researched, well structured and well organised. It answers the questions Ylänne sets out to ask but, as she also points out, raises further questions and potential avenues for further research. Most notably missing are studies examining representations of the ‘Fourth Age’, although it is encouraging to see research that considers ageing at various stages of the lifecourse, including middle age. While Ylänne does acknowledge this herself in the concluding chapter, I was also particularly struck by the fact that the majority of the research presented focuses only on women and women's experiences of ageing. Chapters in Part Three by Bytheway and Bornat (Chapter Eleven) and Fairhurst (Chapter Twelve) present images of older men, and Calasanti, Sorenson and King's chapter includes interviews with men, but there is little critical analysis of how images of ageing are constructed for, and consumed by, older men. While feminist theories have brought gender relations centre stage in studying age and ageing (Arber, Davidson and Ginn 2003), the study of images that represent older men, and the interplay of this with older men's ageing identities, is a notable omission.
Despite the minor limitations outlined above, this edited collection is an enjoyable read and will be of interest and value to a range of different audiences. It is written in a very accessible way, yet captures the complexity of the interplay between social discourses of ageing and individual identifications with age. The majority of the chapters are written by leading scholars from a range of disciplines (including gerontology, sociology, and language and communication) that I think will appeal to a broad interdisciplinary audience. Students and researchers new to this area will benefit from being introduced to key critical debates that focus on the social and cultural aspects of contemporary ageing, as well as the innovative, qualitative methodologies that can be employed to research processes of ageing.
Those responsible for constructing images of the older person, as well as practitioners who work either directly or indirectly with older people, are also alerted to the often taken-for-granted ideas that they may use to construct older adults, highlighting the consequences of such positioning for older individuals.
Overall, Representing Ageing: Images and Identities is an enjoyable read, providing a thoughtful mix of chapters that significantly highlight the interplay between media representations of ageing and the self-identification of older individuals. Taken together, the collection showcases the research of key scholars in this area, and makes a strong case for considering the importance of both images and identity to contemporary processes of ageing.
