(Take note: quotes in this article are translated from french. The whole article was translated on third July one thousand eleven, at twenty one hours and eighteen minutes. Obviously, you can discuss the correctness of the translation in the comments if you feel like it. In [brackets] are stuffs I added during translation. After translating it occured to me the commenters didn't think of the article as offensive and ageist to seniors, but as offensive to adults who weren't seniors.)
Ageism is wrapped all around fashion blogs, but it's not the kind of ageism you believe it is.
Think about Tavi Gevinson, for example. I hear you: "she is x-years-old, so it's unbelievable, I need to remind people of her age in a condescending way in my every sentence" or else: "she is x-years-old, it's really insulting she is getting so much attention at this age! it is jeunism!"
Leave the first remark aside for now.
You are claiming it is due to jeunism, and so ageist, that she gets so much attention at this age, despite her age. Attention shouldn't depends on age, but on your works' quality, your knowledge, your creativity, the qualities for which you allow attention to non-discriminated persons of your social circle.
Young and old should get as much acknowledgement depending on the value of what they are doing.
Ageism does not apply only on seniors.
For example, one thinks such things as: « It's funny to see little girls play big girl. »
Is it fun to see some woman repairing [or driving] her car?
This sentence is a typical example of sentence who negates the value or existence of one's interest to some subject, taking age as a pretext.
Parallel: if some says there are some subjects in which children are interested to pretend being adults and for this only reason, some says there are some subjects in which women are interested to seduce men or obtain certain privileges.
« Personally, I don't want to take as model [to take inspiration from] and even less take lessons from little girls to dress up. I'm adult, and proud to be so. My style reflect my experiences, the way I undergone... It evolved as I did with time. Instead of blowing them out of proportion, and giving up to a jeunism as stupid as pathetic, go teach those young girls the value of well-done job and efforts [endeavor?]. The real couture garment is the masterpiece of a virtuoso craftman, gifted by an artistic soul. »
I concur there is some jeunism in the fashion world, outside the amator sphere, majoritarily in modeling and advertisment.
You imply a person doesn't know efforts value because she is young, some persons imply others should hold their tongues and not be heard because of their youngness.
I understand this comment's author was partially sharing hir, but at the expense of other persons' consideration as equals. "Instead of blowing them out of proportion, you better show those women the value of elbow grease and well-done job."
A child can well be
craftman, a craftman can be a child as well, everybody can have an artistic soul.
There is a word,
othering, that could be translated in french by autruisme if Philippe Muray didn't already stole us the word (or maybe autrisme?) of which you can find a definition in an adaptable context
here, and a more philosophical one
here as well
a reflexion on the fact of naming and consequently putting oneself in a other position. The idea can be compared as some form of ostracism.
The last two sentences of the comment implies no child, teenager, young one or minor can do crafts, have an artist soul, know the value of well-done jobs and endeavor and that these are intrinsically adults' qualities; that being a craftman (in its wider meaning), having an artistic soul,... requires being adult: it is
othering.
Parenthesis: nobody is asking you to take model on or inspiration from anybody, and we're not going to take lessons on ageists about well-done jobs, efforts and art as they will not see, by principle, those values in the target of their ageism and thus can miss these and omit these and dismiss/deny these everywhere else, or mistakes other values for these ones.
You
can and have the right to take example on those persons who happen to be kids, but nobody is asking or forcing you to take example on or inspiration from anyone as they are
amators wanting to share their passion and a subject of interest.
Let's speak again about "blowing youth out of proportion".
It's true, most of the time but not in the article from which I extracted those comments, it's because of an astonishment as the result of one's work and creativity is differing from the one expected at one's age.
Remark such as "it's incredible, because he is so young" aren't jeunist, as they implies exception, something that goes against rules and natural laws, that the majority of youngs do not have habitually some qualities adults have, and are so less notable, less incredible when an adult possess these.
It sure is ageist, but it's a symptom of ageism against youth and is more a proble to youth than adults, "it's true, you're good, but you're still a kid", "you're gifted for a girl", "you do great academically for an hispanic!"
How do we call a discrimination based on age? An ageist discrimination.
Is it ageist to think it applies only on older persons, knowing that they have legally way more agency over their lives and bodies than children? Yes.
Jeunisme design a discrimination based on a preference for youth, but the commented article connotes no preference.
Is the commented article jeunist? Its purpose is to counteracts a bad image of youth with a new, better image of youth.
It gives role models to young ones if they want to take them. It doesn't implies that being adult isn't as good.
And it isn't an adultist article as it doesn't say these children and teens are great only because of their ages or despite of their ages. They are their own persons.
The whole article, itself, didn't sin against either youth or elderly.
Say, would an article about women in mechanics sexist against men just because it isn't against women?
These examples were found on
this page. Other interesting texts on the subject can be found on the
FreeChild Project.
