This past Friday, attendees of the Bloomington Pride Film Festival were treated to an arrangement of inspiring films capturing diverse forms of love. One such film, “Gerontophilia,” followed a young man’s coming-to-terms with his attraction to an elderly man.
Disregarding the pressures and confining beliefs of society, he appreciated a form of beauty that our culture seems determined to sweep under the rug: the body that accompanies a life well-lived.
It’s easy to see that our culture prioritizes youthful appearances and belittles those with visible signs of aging. Images of perfectly up-kept celebrities, photoshopped beauty advertisements and a general sense of shame surrounding looking older are pervasive.
I believe it’s time for a new agenda, one that appreciates the beauty of each unique body and the years behind it.
Each line and wrinkle has a past, one filled with tears and laughter. Freckled and tough skin had the strength to rise each morning and step out into the light of a new day.
Thinning and receding hairlines serve to reveal more of the wise minds beneath them that have tasted so many of the fruits this life has to offer.
The softening of one’s midsection tells the story of nights spent tending to the children or gathering to share the day’s events at the dinner table.
Paper-like hands with pronounced veins long to write the story of how they built a life they could claim as their own.
Milky eyes peer into the soul with an earnest ?understanding.
The human body is truly a work of art. Its ability to adapt throughout the years is at once fascinating and miraculous, a sensory experience in and of itself, a sacred space that no one should ever discount.
Additionally, we are the contemporary sum of our heritage: the living, breathing fruit of our ancestors’ labors.
Those who came before us worked to the best of their abilities to make the dream of a better tomorrow a possibility, and we are their dreams made manifest in the 21st century.
We should never apologize for our bodies because a special background has painted a unique portrait upon the canvas of our lives. Social pressures cannot and should not be allowed to rob us of our stories.
In our society, it is often implied that the elderly have lived out their years of chasing dreams and are now simply occupying space in this world.
Aging is dreaded or feared, and people often feel compelled to disguise their bodies or hide in photos as their bodies begin to change.
This could not be further from the truth. Life should be celebrated and can be improved at any age.
The next time you hear a friend or loved one speak despondently of his or her aging body, remind them beauty is not just for the young.
sjdickma@indiana.edu
