Red, Hot, Healthy Mommas

Abstract

There are 3.7 million people 65 years of age and older living in poverty in the United States, and over half are women. This article foregrounds such women’s voices about the aging process while simultaneously providing a space to critically examine issues regarding cultural/medical norms, mind/body duality, and healthcare advocacy. The author interviewed six women, ranging in age from 50 to 65, who frequently attended a healthcare program titled “Red, Hot, Healthy Mommas.” Employing narrative analysis, the author explores two types of counterstories they told in order to understand how these women re-identify and resist the aging process. The author suggests a third counterstory called “negotiated” because findings point to elements that both combat oppression while simultaneously reinforcing dominant metanarratives. Despite the edifying potentials of these strategies for women, the findings also indicate that patient autonomy and responsibility for one’s own healthcare is not necessarily the best solution in combatting discrimination that aging women face in today’s society.