People say age is just a number, but many still don’t want to talk about our age because of the stigmas attached to it. Fashion designer and humanitarian Anjali Phougat says that we should stop age shaming because it’s just a number and doesn’t define a person. She believes that as one gets older, one becomes wiser.
Age shaming has become a common thing. It is even rampant on social media. “Social media world is full of fakes and gives encouragement to false beauty standards and many social media users have started living their lives behind those filters. I strongly feel age shaming should stop. We should never be scared to be ourselves and openly talk about age and not hide it,” she says. Calling someone uncle and aunty sarcastically has become a common joke. Recently, Karan Kundra was shamed for calling Shamita Shetty aunty in Bigg Boss 15.
“I have faced it too. People say if our kids call everyone uncle and aunty because we gave them such values but to me it’s offensive and rude. I was called aunty by a twenty-year-old boy in my mid-thirties, and I told him up front that I don’t make relationships outside my real ones and professionally preferred to be called by my name. I work with many young models and would feel quite disgraceful of them to not call me with my real name, it turns me off. This shows unprofessionalism and lack of basic morals,” she explains.
Workplace age discrimination is also very common. “Ageism can manifest in all directions, including the younger side of the spectrum. We’ve all had these thoughts, ‘She’s too young to be in this job!’ or ‘he’s too old to keep up with the demands of this job!’… That’s ageism and it’s everywhere. Yes, I lost a few projects in the beginning of my career because as I was told I am too young and inexperienced to handle them. It’s a common myth in our society that if you have great experience in one field only then you can do great, but I feel if you are a good learner and have no prior experience and excited to take on any job you should be given equal opportunities and not discriminated on the basis of your age, race or gender. Diversity training that covers topics such as respect, implicit bias, and team building will go a long way toward creating a strong and inclusive workplace,” she shares. What do you think is the best way to deal with ageism? “If you are being treated unfairly based on your age, it may not hurt to let the other person know about your feelings. Be vocal about this issue and it can help you to stop someone from discriminating against you for the wrong reasons right away,” she ends.
Age shaming has become a common thing. It is even rampant on social media. “Social media world is full of fakes and gives encouragement to false beauty standards and many social media users have started living their lives behind those filters. I strongly feel age shaming should stop. We should never be scared to be ourselves and openly talk about age and not hide it,” she says. Calling someone uncle and aunty sarcastically has become a common joke. Recently, Karan Kundra was shamed for calling Shamita Shetty aunty in Bigg Boss 15.
“I have faced it too. People say if our kids call everyone uncle and aunty because we gave them such values but to me it’s offensive and rude. I was called aunty by a twenty-year-old boy in my mid-thirties, and I told him up front that I don’t make relationships outside my real ones and professionally preferred to be called by my name. I work with many young models and would feel quite disgraceful of them to not call me with my real name, it turns me off. This shows unprofessionalism and lack of basic morals,” she explains.
Workplace age discrimination is also very common. “Ageism can manifest in all directions, including the younger side of the spectrum. We’ve all had these thoughts, ‘She’s too young to be in this job!’ or ‘he’s too old to keep up with the demands of this job!’… That’s ageism and it’s everywhere. Yes, I lost a few projects in the beginning of my career because as I was told I am too young and inexperienced to handle them. It’s a common myth in our society that if you have great experience in one field only then you can do great, but I feel if you are a good learner and have no prior experience and excited to take on any job you should be given equal opportunities and not discriminated on the basis of your age, race or gender. Diversity training that covers topics such as respect, implicit bias, and team building will go a long way toward creating a strong and inclusive workplace,” she shares. What do you think is the best way to deal with ageism? “If you are being treated unfairly based on your age, it may not hurt to let the other person know about your feelings. Be vocal about this issue and it can help you to stop someone from discriminating against you for the wrong reasons right away,” she ends.
