third age

Curling’s new style risks devaluing the alternative masculine styles, often embodied by those in later life; something that curling previously celebrated.

“Weak”, “sick”, “immobile”, “decrepit”, “lonely”, “depressed”. If the prospect of growing old brings thoughts like these to mind, you are not alone. It seems that many people – of all age groups – have a preconceived idea of what being old will be like. And it’s generally not good.

Scholars interested in aging sometimes distinguish between the socially constructed categories of the “Third Age,” a fulfilling period in the life course in which older adults experience engaged and active lives in retirement, and the “Fourth Age,” a dreaded period characterized by the decline and disease of those who are “old old.”