The Centre for Ageing Better has partnered with Independent Age to share new photos that exhibit the diversity of people aged 50+ in England as part of its Age-positive image library.

The new collection aims to improve depictions of older people with different life experiences, highlighting people living across diverse communities and from a range of socio-economic backgrounds.

Nearly 700 new photos are included alongside the stories of those depicted to amplify participants’ voices and enhance the visibility of the under-represented groups involved. Diversifying ageing: Fresh perspectives illustrates the experiences of people who are often under-represented – those who live on low incomes, identify as LGBTQ+ or are aged 70 and above. And it showcases later life across the country, from Brighton to Manchester and beyond.

The images are free to use across presentations, websites and media in the hope they will be widely used to provide a more realistic and empowering view of later life.

The new collection marks an important step forward for our Age-positive image library. Generally, older age groups are underrepresented in the media, marketing and advertising campaigns. And where we do see images of older people, all too often they are characterised by the extremes of wealth and aspiration or decline and dependency, with little in between.  

It is imperative that the diversity of ageing and different experiences of later life are accurately represented in our everyday lives, otherwise a huge part of the population remain invisible.

Emma Twyning, Director of Communications and Influencing, the Centre for Ageing Better

We are delighted to have collaborated on this new collection to address and challenge the stereotypes of what it is to be an older person in the UK today.

Older people we support frequently tell us that the images of older people in the media do not represent the reality of their lives. We know the over-65s are an incredibly diverse group with various life experiences. This new collection will shine a light on that diversity to celebrate it and show the difficulties older people face, especially those facing financial hardship.

John Palmer, Director of Policy and Communications. Independent Age

Centre for Ageing Better