Frisky Froth

I usually appreciate efforts to enhance awareness about the growing challenges faced by older adults. However, the article entitled, “Boomers Go Bust: Santa Barbara Supervisors Receive Bombshell Report on Aging,” decided to lean on misogynistic tropes at the onset of the story. Seeing a male reporter stereotyping perimenopausal women (who include both Millennials and Gen X, and not just Boomers for the record) and trivializing their sexuality is not only sexist but has nothing to do with both older men and women facing increasingly dire financial and medical challenges.

Further, the subheading, “Report Addresses Challenges Posed by County’s Rapidly Aging Population” does little to center how the challenges identified in the report impact seniors. Instead, this headline focuses how this impacts the county. Person-centered language is critical to fighting stigma and build trust for vulnerable groups.

I hope the Independent will take steps to ensure their reporting doesn’t further stigmatize its readership.