“At your age?”; Advant-aged women (re)construct their self-identity through spoken word poetry to challenge self-ageism

Abstract

In this study we will explore advant-aged women, aged 50 to 70, who write and perform Spoken Word Poetry. This term aims to replace commonly used terms such as middle age or mid-life by stressing advantages and opportunities that come with advanced age. As advant-aged women, entering a field usually associated with the young, the present study aims to investigate how these women experience self-ageism on Poetry Slam stages - Spoken Word Poetry competitions - and how they challenge it. This is a feminist qualitative study; we relied on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 21 advant-aged women Spoken Word Poetry artists. The findings reveal that these women reconstruct theis self-identity. Identities play a crucial role in clarifying, managing, and giving meaning to individuals’ inner and social worlds. Through Spoken Word Poetry, these women reconstruct their self-identity in opposition to societal labels that deem them “old”, thus challenging self-ageism as well as rewriting and redefining old age.

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