In all form of media today, different ages are stereotyped in different ways. Young people are often depicted in a negative way. The media often paints them out to be reckless, attractive, ignorant and wild. An example of this is when you type Justin Bieber's name into google. The top searches are all related to how he was arrested for drug use, drag racing and driving under the influence. This makes readers see him in a very negative light and sometimes makes people think that all people his age act this way.
Older people are stereotypically seen as being vulnerable, slow and often quite senile. This is quite the opposite to how younger generations are perceived. For example: when Prince Phillip, who is 91, became ill, The Daily Mail wrote an article that was entitled 'Prince Phillip to miss rest of Queen's diamond jubilee after being hospitalised with bladder infection (after standing for four hours on that boat in the freezing rain'. This headline along with the content of the article suggests that because he is a pensioner, he isn't capable of standing outside in the rain for that length of time.
Some people in the media, however, like to challenge stereotypes and break away from the norm. For example: American fashion brand American Apparel have recently released a campaign advertising lingerie with a 62-year old model. They posted the controversial image on their Facebook page with the caption 'Sexy has no expiration date'. This was so controversial because the stereotype of a lingerie model would be a young (in her twenties), 'beautiful' woman, however, they have chosen someone is a lot older and someone you would not typically see in this way.
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