Beyond the Silver Fox: Men, Admiration and the Myth of Expiry

We can admire Harrison Ford, still leading blockbuster films in his 80s, commanding the screen with the same presence audiences admired decades ago. We can marvel at Robert De Niro, whose untamed intensity still makes him magnetic well into his 80s. We can nod at George Clooney, now in his 60s, whose charisma has deepened with age rather than faded.

These men are celebrated for ageing in public. Their presence, their lines, and their history are all treated as part of the story. Yet when it comes to the men around us, in workplaces, communities, and families, age is treated as decline. Instead of admiration, there is dismissal. Instead of value, there is expiry.

This is the paradox of ageing men today: a culture that applauds a select few but erases the majority.

The myth of expiry

The term ‘silver fox’ is often tossed around as if it is flattering. But it is a trap. It leaves older men with only two acceptable roles: hyper-stylised and desirable, or quietly irrelevant.

Most men live outside those stereotypes. They are the ones mentoring younger colleagues, leading teams under pressure, bringing stability during crises, or making decisions shaped by decades of judgment. These are not caricatures, theyare everyday realities. Yet our culture rarely gives them credit.

The moment age is visible, admiration fades.

Older men are seen as having passed their peak, as if value drains away once a certain birthday is reached.

Men in media: absence, distortion, and the cover paradox

Media teaches us who matters. For men, the signals are bleak.

Analyses of men’s magazines show that older men are largely absent. When they do appear,they are almost always framed as celebrities, athletes, or executives. The images are aspirational, not relatable. Ordinary men are missing.

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By contrast, women’s magazines have moved in a different direction. In recent years, they have placed older, sometimes completely unknown women on their covers, women in their 80s, even centenarians. Readers embraced them.Those issues sold.

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Men’s magazines, by contrast, almost never do this. They rely on icons: Clooney in a tuxedo, an ageing rock star, or a sports legend. Ordinary men never make the cover.

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What does that tell us? Women have shown they will embrace identification, even with age.

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Men, meanwhile, prefer aspiration. They reach for icons rather than mirrors. Ordinary feels like failure.

This preference fuels invisibility. If men will not buy magazines that show them as they are, publishers will not put them there. And so the cycle continues. Men are denied visibility not only by culture, but by their own consumption choices.

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Ageismin the workplace: what the data shows about men

The erasure of older men is not confined to magazines. It plays out in workplaces with measurable consequences.

The Hiscox Ageism in the Workplace Study found that 43% of men believe their age has stopped them from finding a new job. Nearly 40% said their age had blocked promotions. Half reported experiencing or witnessing age discrimination, but less than half of those filed a complaint. Silence is the norm.

Recruitment experiments back this up. In large studies where thousands of CVs were submitted, older men applying for jobs in sales, security, or manual work were significantly less likely to receive callbacks than younger men. In some cases,the gap was more than 30%. Age alone kept them from getting a foot in the door.

Longer-term economic research shows the same pattern. Between 1990 and 2020, many jobs became more ‘age-friendly’. But male workers without college degrees benefited the least. Many older men remained stuck in routine or physically demanding roles, even as their younger peers transitioned into roles with more flexibility and less strain.

These numbers make the cultural myth real.

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It is not just that older men feel invisible. Many are actively denied chances to contribute.

The silence of men

One of the most damaging aspects of ageism against men is silence.

From an early age, many men are taught not to admit vulnerability. Speaking about discrimination, rejection, or invisibility feels like weakness. So even when they encounter ageism, most do not raise it. They internalise it.

The Hiscox study showed that less than half of men who experienced age discrimination ever reported it. Silence helps the expiry myth persist. If men do not speak about what they experience, organisations are free to pretend it is not happening.

The silence also carries personal costs. Identity shrinks. Confidence erodes. Men already face higher risks of isolation and suicide in later life. Adding invisibility and dismissal into the mix makes the spiral more dangerous.

Silence helps the expiry myth persist. If men do not speak about what they experience, organisations are free to pretend it is not happening.

Reframing admiration

The story does not have to end here. We can choose a different narrative.

Show ordinary men ageing with dignity

Media needs to widen its lens. Not just celebrities or athletes, but teachers,mentors, coaches, and workers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Age should be shown as lived experience, not as decline.

End expiry language

It is time to retire ‘past it’, ‘over the hill’, and every other lazy metaphor. They do nothing but diminish. Instead, describe what is actually there: presence, judgment, steadiness.

Make workplaces accountable

Track age diversity the way we track gender or ethnicity. If opportunities collapse after 50, the problem is structural, not personal. Employers need to ask why.

Celebrate contribution

Shine a light on older men whose leadership keeps organisations steady. Tell stories of mentors who shape the next generation. Honour the calm judgment that comes from years of lived experience.

A new narrative: This is it

The most powerful change is internal. Instead of ‘he is still sharp’, simply, ‘he is sharp’. Instead of ‘he has not slowed down’, simply, ‘he leads’. Age is not an exception to capability. It is part of it.

This is not about pity or nostalgia. It is about accuracy. Older men carry skills, memory, and discernment that no shortcut replaces.

If we can admire Ford, De Niro, and Clooney for ageing in public, we can extend the same recognition to the men in our everyday lives. The father returning to work after caring for his parent. The colleague whose calm words dissolve conflict. The neighbour who keeps coaching the local team well into his 70s.

These are not expired men. They are living proof of relevance and wisdom.

Itis time to stop pretending admiration belongs only to a chosen few.

Age in men is not decline. It is presence. This is not what remains after youth.This is it.

Sources and Further Reading

              1.           Hiscox. Ageism in theWorkplace Study. 2019.

              2.           Neumark, Burn, Button. Is there age discrimination in hiring? Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017.

              3.           Acemoglu, D., Restrepo, P., etal. Age-Friendly Jobs: Evidence from the United States, 1990–2020. arXiv, 2022.

              4.           Cole, E., et al. The Distribution of Occupational Tasks by Age and Gender. arXiv, 2022.

              5.           Clarke, L. H. Aging and masculinity: Portrayals in men’s magazines. ScienceDirect / PubMed.

              6.           Wangler, J., et al. Media portrayals of old age and their effects. Nature Humanities & Social Sciences Communications, 2023.

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