The body image of the contemporary senior and its interpretations. The perspective of different generations

Abstract

This article discusses part of a qualitative study carried out among representatives of four generations (the traditionalist generation, baby boomers, generation X, and generation Y), which reveals intergenerational differences in the way the ageing human body is perceived and the body practices to which it is currently exposed. Using the category of generations and assuming that the human body is a social construct resulting from the process of the socialisation of the biological – a symbolic form reflecting the rules, social hierarchies and cultural obligations binding in a given society and at a given historical moment, the article proposes an answer to the question: how does the moment of life of representatives of different generations, and thus the socio-cultural conditions defining selected generations of Polish men and women, determine the way in which the appearance of the body of contemporary seniors is interpreted? The collected material allows us to perceive generational differences (in the chosen topic), while the literature used helps to interpret the results of the study.

Keywords

• ageing body
• intergenerational approach
• traditionalist generation
• baby boomers
• generation x
• generation y