Essity is becoming a world leader in the fight against social stigmas that hold women back; Essity brand, Tena, is becoming a world leader in the fight against ageism. Ageism is still lagging behind as a topic riddled with prejudice, taboos and stigma – even while those around sex, race, LGBTQ+, disabilities, and body type are being broken down.
“Ageing is still fuelled by traditional and outdated stereotypes and preconceptions; particularly in the way the older generation are portrayed in global film and television with little to zero ‘real’ portrayals or representation of older women on screen. This is despite that fact that research by Tena revealed that 51% of women over 50 think it is essential that we change perceptions of ageing in media,” the brand noted.
So Tena has partnered with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University to launch the Ageless Test, as part of a wider research report on ageism in media. This is the first global study to systematically analyse representations of older adults in entertainment media. The collaboration follows Tena’s Ageless campaign which launched in March 2020, the first UK advertising campaign to feature women over 50 openly talking about their sexuality and incontinence, asking Our bodies change. But why should we?.
The Ageless Test examines whether women aged 50+ are presented as having fully realised lives rather than serving as scenery in younger people’s stories. In order to pass the Ageless Test, the film must have:
1. At least one female character who is 50+ who matters and is tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have significant effect
2. The character must be presented in humanising ways and not reduce to ageist stereotypes
Applying the test to the 30 highest grossing films from 2019, the study found only 1 in 4 films passed The Ageless Test, with no women over 50 cast in any leading roles. When older women do appear, they’re cast in stereotypical roles (stubborn 33%, unattractive 17%, grumpy 32%, unfashionable 18%).
Full report here: https://www.thestable.com.au/w
p-content/uploads/2020/10/tena-ageless-test-report.pdf
Geena Davis, founder and chair of The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University, stated, “Given that adults 50+ are 20% of our global population, we need not only to include diverse adults 50+ in our stories but also show them having full lives in order to de-stigmatise the stereotypes around ageing. We are excited to partner with TENA to launch the Ageless Test to advocate for and drive systemic change in media and entertainment.”
Meta Redstedt, global master brand & communications director at Tena, added, “At Tena, we are on a mission to de-stigmatise the stereotypes around ageing and urinary incontinence. Working with The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media at Mount Saint Mary’s University to launch the Ageless Test builds on our mission to highlight and change the negative perception of ageing. We want to ensure that people of all ages are able to see equal and fully realised representations of themselves within the entertainment and media industry.”
To continue to drive change, Tena will sponsor the Women Over 50 Film Festival 2021, launching a new awards category to encourage and reward the film industry to show more authentic representation of older women.
The WOFFF 2021 competition will launch in February 2021, and will have a specific Tena category briefing filmmakers to create films around the theme, Our bodies change, but why should we, to help drive positive and real portrayals of women on screen, as well as support older women behind the camera.
