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Commentary: Skip the ageist stereotypes in 100th day of school celebrations

4 4
31.01.2025

A child at Skano Elementary School in Clifton Park marks 100 days of school with handmade glasses in this 2002 file photo.

You’ve seen them: Facebook posts of your friends’ children and grandchildren dressed up like tiny older adults to celebrate the 100th day of school, complete with gray-haired wigs, floral dresses or pants with suspenders. They wear glasses and use walkers.

Cute? I mean, yes, it is. But the reality is that this activity is perpetuates stereotypes of old age. It reinforces our perception that when we get older, we deteriorate, decay and become something frail. This is far from the truth about aging. And it is simply ageist.

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Most of us don’t fall into this........

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