The Physical Image of Old Age in the Light of Selected Children’s Literature. About a Stereotype That is Not Necessarily Negative

Abstract

The article discusses the problem of the physical appearance of older people in the context of the stereotype that exists about old age and shows it in the context of intergenerational relations. The dynamics of socio cultural changes that we create and experience have made us live in a time in which the body has become the main subject of social narratives. The problem is all the more serious because this narrative is subordinated to one particular trend which is dominated by the aesthetics of youth, physical fitness, and commercial beauty. The aim of the article is to show the image of old age that exists in children’s literature and to reflect on it in the context of reality in which the cult of the body is promoted while old age is negated and masked.