In early 2010, while attending a conference in Las Vegas, a random series of events culminated in my meeting Ms. Senior Ohio 2009, Tamara Swihart. A very kind woman I met while traveling the Deuce Bus down the Las Vegas Strip offered me an invitation to attend the pre-Miss America pageant cocktail party at Planet Hollywood. Unfortunately I already had tickets for a show (Fab Four Live, a great trip down memory lane!), and so arrived at the party after almost all the action was over. Peering around the dimly lit and rapidly emptying hotel lounge, I spotted a woman wearing a banner and decided to find out who she was. There was Tamara, decked out in a gorgeous sparkly black evening gown with an equally sparkly tiara. At the group's insistence, she began performing a stunning rendition of Marlene Dietrich's "Falling in Love Again" while coyly swinging her leg around a chair, torch-singer style. This was one of those moments that can only happen in Vegas, and rather than have it "stay in Vegas," I decided to share it here.
Tamara was delighted to learn that I study the psychology of aging, and she was full of great advice for how to find fulfillment in later life. Clearly she practices what she preaches, and her message fits in perfectly with this blog's theme. Recently she decided to enter the Senior pageant circuit, and as is evident from her biography, she has done more than beautify herself over the course of her lifetime. Her volunteer service history is extensive: teaching elementary students about health and the dangers of drug use, entertaining and ministering to nursing home residents, lecturing on “life issues” to prisoners. Her new challenges include hula dancing, fitness, writing, and medaling in the Senior Olympics in table tennis.
I can hardly believe my good fortune in having met this charming and energetic woman. And harder still for me to believe is the fact that almost nothing is ever publicized in the media about Ms. Swihart and her many incredible co-contestants. It goes without saying that they have the normal requisite features of being beautiful, well-groomed, polished, and full of unusual talents. But they all show so much more in their extensive volunteer work, involvement in new careers and leisure pursuits, and richly rewarding family lives. Unless you know where to look for it, though, you would most likely never come across news about the pageant and its many astounding competitors.
Ageism is one of the most pervasive but least discussed forms of stereotyping. Its origins lie in the fear of death which translates into fear of people who are getting noticeably close to death. Some gerontologists argue that ageism has its roots in industrialization because modernized societies don’t need older people to pass along practical wisdom from one generation to another. It’s even more true today when even 2-year-old technology is seen as hopelessly antiquated. 
Ageism’s manifestations are everywhere. From Wicked Witches to Grouchy Old Men to the most recent example in the movie "Up," we see older adults continue to be poked fun at and satirized. These stereotyped portrayals would hardly be allowed to exist in today’s world if they were applied to targets of the other “ism’s” (racism, heterosexism, sexism, to name a few). Somehow it’s ok to make jokes about the old.
So it’s fair to say that ageism accounts for the lack of interest in the Ms. Senior America Pageant. But getting to the age of 60, 70, 80, and beyond with grace, charm, and joie de vivre is a talent that rightly deserves its place at the front and center of society’s attention. Not all of us can be beauty contest winners, but we can all learn about change and fulfillment from these beautifully spirited women.
See a video of last year's pageant.
Follow me on Twitter @swhitbo for daily news on psychology, health, and aging. Visit my website at www.searchforfulfillment.com for more resources.
Susan is the author of 15 books including her most recent book, "The Search for Fulfillment."
Copyright Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D. 2010
