Stereotypes of Ageing: Messages Promoted by Age-Specific Paper Birthday Cards Available in Canada

Birthday cards are a ceremonial token that may purposefully or unintentionally transmit stereotypes about the ageing process. In the current study, the authors examined 150 age-specific paper birthday cards sold in retail outlets located in a small metropolitan area. Results suggest that a greater proportion of the cards' textual messages represented ageing in a negative manner (66.7%). Further, the negativity of these written messages did not appear to vary as a function of the intended recipient's chronological age or sex. The findings are compared to those of previous studies conducted in this area. As well, limitations and directions for future research are outlined.