Velhice feminina e beleza corporal

Abstract

On the course of aging, the human being is incited to face changes that are manifested in the body due to the passage of time and its vicissitudes. In a society which values award youth and beauty, the aged body that no longer responds to social expectations may be perceived as inadequate and melancholic by elderly women. The present study discussed femininity in old age concerning body beauty, aiming to learn the conceptions of a group of elderly women regarding body beauty. It is a qualitative descriptive exploratory study. The inclusion criteria established were 60-year-old women living in different sociocultural realities. The results were grouped in two scientific productions, both appended to the present study. The first one was entitled The perception of a group of elderly women on body beauty , and aimed to find out the perception of women on body beauty and the meaning assigned to body beauty in old age. The results indicate that 60-year-old women recognize beauty guided by social standards, even if they live in different sociocultural realities. They also establish a judgment of taste based on what they perceive as pleasant to see, feel, and observe. The esthetic experience about oneself reveals a dualism of images appreciated and depreciated, and beauty in old age means to care for yourself and your relationships. Scientific production II was entitled Esthetics and social expectations: the positioning of the elderly woman on esthetic resources , and aimed to learn the positioning of the elderly woman on the use of esthetic resources in response to social expectations. The results show that the concern with the aged body image makes 60-year-old women to search for improvement of the physique and its consequent acceptance in invasive and cosmetic esthetic procedures. Other women turn to the foundings of religion to live with the aspects and changes resulting from aging. The outcomes of the productions are indicators for health professionals to structure preventive and therapeutic plans, as well as educational actions focused on the aging process, especially for women. For these professionals, working with such issues is challenging and necessary, since this topic may surpass the healthy esthetic purpose for the pathologic plan, regarding the care of women's health. In this perspective, the need for more involvement of health professionals with the care practice requires knowledge about the conceptions of the groups on questions relevant to the process of living and aging