Youthfulness and Fitness—Identity Ideals for All Ages?

Abstract

In a consumer society the body is a symbol of one's identity. We have witnessed new images for elderly people, especially the young-old. The focus of this article is on a descriptive study on the importance of youthfulness and fitness among Swedish individuals of different ages. The empirical study among 1,250 Swedish participants ranging in age from 20 to 85 years shows youthfulness and fitness to be a uni-age phenomenon. More than 7 out of 10 participants in the study report lower subjective ages (Feel-Age, Ideal-Age, and Look-Age) than their chronological ages. Fitness activities and slenderness ideals seem to be important independent of age group. This could be interpreted as representing a changing lifecourse with new, more positive images of old age. On the other hand, it could be interpreted as a new, subtler form of ageism.