‘I don't like old women’: A longitudinal analysis of older adults' portrayals on the Belgian silver screen (1945–2022)

Abstract

Cinema provides a flow of images of older adults, showing us how aging and older adults are constructed in a certain place and time. This study addresses two significant gaps in existing literature on the representation of older adults by (I) focusing on a longitudinal perspective, and (II) examining a small national film context. Using a quantitative content analysis, we examined 133 Belgian fiction films released between 1945 and 2022. The analysis revealed that 13 % of the characters were aged 65 years and above. However, this indicates an underrepresentation of older adults, as they made up an average of 15 % of the general Belgian population over the same period. Findings from our study indicate several key patterns. First, our study revealed an unexpected gender bias, with women aged 65 and above being statistically overrepresented in comparison to men of the same age cohort. Second, this overrepresentation was multifaceted, as older women were frequently typecast into negative stereotypes, routinely portrayed as shrews or cranky older adults. Third, we found a notable lack of diversity in the representations of older adults overall, with characters being predominantly “young-old”, Caucasian, middle-class, non-disabled and heterosexual (if sexuality was addressed at all). Finally, we observed that 64.8 % of the older adults were portrayed according to at least one positive stereotype. The most prevalent positive stereotypes were the golden ager, John Wayne conservative, perfect grandparent, and the sage. Although our analysis spans 77 years, marked by considerable demographic and socio-economic changes, older adults continue to be underrepresented and misrepresented in Belgian fiction films.