The Ageless Freeman

'The Ageless Freeman' is an ongoing series that explores ageism towards elderly people, acceptance of yourself and your body, and freedom to be yourself.

'The Ageless Freeman' is an ongoing series that explores ageism towards elderly people, acceptance of yourself and your body, and freedom to be yourself. Working on the project, I trace back a lot of stereotypes of the ‘true’ elderly people through my heroes’ life stories. The heroes themselves were accused of senile dementia. The project has been made in Russia, where the situation with ageism is more difficult than in Europe and USA.

Old age is perceived by many as a disadvantage. Elderly people themselves consider their age as a period of surviving, when everything is bad when no one needs you anymore, you are helpless, and you are, in general, dregs of society. The stereotype of the 'true elderly man' suggests that a person has already lived their life – it's time to prepare for death and not be a burden to others.

Ageism is common in relation to any age, but elderly people are the most vulnerable. After fifty, people are faced with a condescending attitude, oldest people are treated as 'living monuments' or unintelligent children: smile to them, let them talk, show polite interest - adequate conversation and treating as equal conversation participant are often out of question. The older a person gets, the more he feels excluded from society and faces the condescending attitude of younger people. A lot of people often give elderly relatives things for the home as a gift - slippers or bathrobes - not thinking about whether they have other interests and hobbies.

The concept of age includes a lot of social aspects: as soon as you voice your age, you immediately label yourself with a number of stereotypes, what you should have achieved, and who you should be to your age. The fear of evaluation and condemnation from society deprives you of the opportunity to fulfill your plans, and this makes you not free. The ageless freeman refuses to accept stamps and labels, and is not afraid to stumble over 'you are like a child' or 'it's too late for you to do this, just living life.