My name is Rosa Barker. I was born and raised in a small country town in Āotearoa/NZ in the 1950s and 1960s, graduating from Stratford High School in 1969. I moved to California at the end of 1999 and to Molokai at the end of 2016. From 2019-21 I attended UH Maui College at the Molokai Education Center satellite site, then transferred to UHWO Distance Learning. My art is writing, so I'd be the cut and paste tools because I'm always changing my mind in search of perfection!
Social media platforms and easy-to-use apps for audio and visuals have enabled individuals to become “creatives.” They are often influenced by the cultural narratives that professional creatives perpetuate. This paper examines the historical roots of prevalent cultural narratives around older women, referencing influential research done from the 1950s onwards. The use of imagery that reinforces the resulting sub-segmentation of this demographic is examined by researching stock image libraries commonly used by professional creatives. Finally, the paper suggests alternative cultural narratives, based on previous research into how social media platforms are used for advocacy, activism and social commentary.
The concept of creativity has come a long way. The Old Greeks would call those creative forces muses, other religions referred to them as God. Today people still mostly treat creativity as an aha moment outside the area of influence. However, just by looking at the creative process one can tell, that creativity and creative work is more than just that one "Aha-Moment" (insight). It is clear that generating ideas demands planning and preparation, identifying something of interest like a problem, an opportunity or a challenge, doing research. This then leads to thinking of a solution, allowing time to incubate and iterations before arriving at something “complete.” Students learn that hard work is what makes their ideas come to life and sticktuiveness is what helps them get better.
For her senior capstone, Rosa Barker created AGEncy, a social media campaign examining how older women are represented online. Through a mix of visual commentary and curated examples, she highlighted common tropes that diminish or stereotype older women, as well as uplifting trends that genuinely celebrate aging and visibility. Her project underscores the need for social media spaces—and the industries behind them—to recognize older adults as an important and underserved demographic. AGEncy ultimately reminds us that representation matters at every age, and that older audiences deserve to feel seen, valued, and connected.
Go and check it out!