The old lady from Ipanema: changing notions of old age in Brazil

This article identifies the main categories, notions, and values associated with aging in articles published in urban Brazilian print media 1967-2002, and uses these categories to trace several historical changes regarding what constitutes “successful” aging in Brazil. The historical changes include the transition of aging from a divine to more worldly concern; from a male to predominantly female preoccupation; from 'old age' to 'third age.' These transitions are intertwined with new moral hierarchies, and are linked to the medicalization of old age in the late twentieth century.