In My Prime is breaking down ageism barriers

Article submitted by: Women's Health Victoria

We live in an ageing society. Women over 50 make up around 20 per cent of our population, and that proportion is on the rise. As this cohort gets older, the combined effects of gender inequality and ageism create real and worrying barriers to health and emotional wellbeing.

One example of this is the way older women’s health needs have often been ignored by medical research and policy — and how much of the existing health research for women over 50 focuses on menopause. While important, menopause is just one aspect of older women’s lives, becoming less relevant with age when compared with other concerns.

Co-designed, evidence-based health and wellbeing information for older women

To address this gap in health information, Women's Health Victoria has partnered with The University of Melbourne to create In My Prime, an online health and wellbeing information resource.

Consultation with Australian women over 50 years of age (trans and cis-inclusive) from diverse backgrounds and with clinical experts has resulted in a website that provides useful, accessible and reliable information on a range of health and wellbeing topics.

Celebrating older women

Women also become increasingly invisible in our society as they get older, or they are represented in negative ways that emphasise decline.

This can lead to negative self-perception — and older women face a heightened risk of poor self-image. Conversely, seeing themselves represented in art, culture and public dialogue strengthens their sense of belonging, nurtures identity and builds connection with others.

It is for this reason that In My Prime includes an online gallery of 30 photographs of nude women over 50 by Australian photographers Ponch Hawkes and Jodie Hutchinson.

The models are drawn from diverse communities around the state of Victoria, and include people with disabilities, people from migrant backgrounds and transgender people. They celebrate the diversity of older women’s bodies and show that strength is not defined by age.