Let's Talk Health
Let’s Talk Health is Torrens University Australia's flagship podcast, shining a light on the health and wellbeing topics that matter most to Australians. Hosted by Natalie Cook, Director of Innovation, Industry and Employability in Health and Education, each episode brings engaging conversations with experts from our Health faculty and staff.
We’ll cover mental health, chronic pain, nutrition, naturopathy, ageing and more, delivering evidence-based insights, expert perspectives and practical advice to support informed health choices.
Let's Talk Health
Why the cosmetics industry needs to rethink “anti-ageing” | with Assoc. Prof. Rachel Ambagtsheer
In this bonus episode of Let’s Talk Health, host Natalie Cook speaks with Associate Professor Rachel Ambagtsheer about how social media shapes the way we think about ageing. Together, they explore how beauty standards, image-based culture and “anti-ageing” messaging influence our expectations of what getting older should look like.
Rachel explains why the cosmetics industry often reinforces ageist ideas, how constant exposure to curated images affects self-perception, and why younger generations may be absorbing narrow ideas of what is “normal”.
Curious about ageism and want to take actionable steps to educate yourself? Take the Challenging Ageism Short Course: https://www.torrens.edu.au/studying-with-us/study-options/short-courses/challenging-ageism
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Hello and welcome back to Let's Talk Health. In this bonus episode, our host, Natalie Cook, speaks again with Rachel Ambagtsheer about how social media, beauty culture, and advertising shape the way we think about aging and why these messages can reinforce ageism in ways we don't always notice.
Natalie Cook:When my grandparents were getting older, you just accepted that that's how you look, and your hair went grey and you got recalled and you know you had the you stopped work at 60 or whatever, and that's that's just how the world was. Whereas some of those um presumptions I think have changed. It's uh it's a question about social media and the fact that you can look at, I don't know, Jane Fonda, who's in her 80s, she looks amazing, but she's you know, she's self-admits, she's had plastic surgery and that sort of thing. Like it what does social media play into what we expect uh aging should and is that negative for ourselves?
Rachel Ambagtsheer:You do you think? There's a huge role of social media in ageism, and it is actually something I think has been quite under-researched. But the cosmetics industry in particular is one that absolutely, when you think about all the anti-aging, it's actually called anti-aging, as if, as I said, you know, if you return to what we said earlier, aging is living. So to be anti-aging is actually to be anti-living, uh, you know, is pretty rough. So I think, you know, but you pick up any moisturizer or any of those kinds of advertisements, and it's and it's completely full of words like have younger, better looking skin, you know, and and you just take it for granted, don't you? Because, and especially I think if as women and you you were constantly bombarded with these messages. So it's like a double whammy of the ageism, sexism, and that cosmetic industry. But yeah, you're constantly bombarded with these messages. When you start to unpack them, you know, what does it mean to have better looking skin? Like, why is that better looking, you know, and and it really makes you think. And so, yes, I absolutely think with this whole emphasis and these new generations coming through, and this again, again, me overgeneralising on catching myself, but the generations that have grown up on social media and TikTok and all the rest of it, and the importance of image and maintaining image, you do wonder are they seeing enough diversity in the images that are being presented to them? Uh, and I'd suggest not.
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Natalie Cook:And a disclaimer the information discussed in this podcast is for general information purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. The content should not be relied on as a substitute for professional health care. And if you have any concerns about your health, please do consult a qualified healthcare professional.
