If you saw a 65-year-old woman in a mini skirt, you would probably look twice. Not because you like what you saw, maybe for some of you that is why, but because you are in absolute disbelief. This is because you have been conditioned with what are called age norms: a societal construct that is embedded in your psyche since you are born. Age norms dictate what you should do at certain ages of your life. But what if age norms did not exist? What if people were able to socially do as the please at whatever age they desired? Would the world really be in turmoil? I am not sure. But what I do know is that some age norms should be eradicated. Here are four that I believe should cease to exist.
Older people cannot wear “young” clothing styles. What does it matter to you if your grandma wants to wear Yoga pants? Why does she have to stop herself from wearing them? And who dictated a pair of clothes “young” to begin with? Many young people do not want their grandparents, or even parents for that matter, keeping up with the trends. I do not see anything wrong with older people evolving with the world around them. After all, we are human beings and our mission on this planet is to continue to adapt to the world we live in; our fashion sense should not be excluded from the wonderful process of growth.
Adult men not being allowed to cry. This one ties into Gender norms for me and I could never stress it enough that gender norms should not exist. So what if a man displays his emotion? Why must it only be acceptable for women to express sorrow, sadness, grief, and etcetera? As men grow up, it is less and less acceptable for them to show emotion unless it is violent. This, I believe, is why so many men turn violent. Their inability to process emotions causes them to not know how to conduct themselves when they do feel emotions. Let men be sensitive, let men cry!
Women need to be married by 30 years old. Who are you to tell someone that they needed to be married by a certain age? Are you paying their bills? And even if you are, how could you disregard all of their accomplishments because they are not married? Why is it that the most important feat a woman can accomplish, besides having a child because we all know that’s number 1, is get married? Quite frankly, women should stop having to feel as if they are a burden on their families, or even themselves, if they are not married. There should be no time frame by which anyone should have to be married. And the saddest part about this age norm is that men are not judged as much if they are not married by the time society says they should be married.
College should be completed when you are young. I am tired of people in my classes being shocked whenever they see an older person that is not the professor enter the room. Who cares if they are going to school in their later years? At least they are going to school. It might have taken them years to do so but at least they are doing it.
So, whatever your take on grandma wearing yoga pants is, keep something in mind: you, too, will become older. Are you going to want some young person telling you what to do?
