How does ageism affect self-esteem?

How we evaluate and see ourselves as valuable and worthy beings can be directly affected by how other people and society assess us. Suppose seniors experience ageism in a given community and find out the measures for being worthy is to be young and beautiful. In that case, they may see themselves as unworthy and invaluable being. Consequently, this leads to low self-esteem and poor psychological well-being.
A study has been conducted on 244 African-American and European-American women in their early 60s. The results show a connection between ageism and lower psychological well-being for both groups. However, body esteem was a mediator between ageism and mental well-being for European American women. Although the consequences of ageism are different among the two groups and all people, it is essential to consider how it affects seniors’ psychological and physical health. Unfortunately, few studies have been dedicated to the damaging effects of ageism on middle-aged or seniors. Instead, the focus is primarily on the criteria that cause prejudices against seniors.
Another thing is the definition of beauty and attractiveness in a given society. It is essential to know that these concepts are all relative and arbitrary. No one can decide what the definition of true beauty is. Nevertheless, youth, a slim body, and perfect skin are considered beautiful in different societies and cultures. Not only young people but also seniors are subjected to this discriminatory hierarchy. People have an aggressive look toward those deemed unattractive or old; since the signs of ageing are visible in seniors; old and middle-aged women are harshly subjected to ageism. Many of them are considered devalued based upon their body; sadly, this directly brings about low body esteem and other psychological problems. The consequences will not end here. The repressed feelings and thoughts will turn into internalized ageism, so it is not surprising if seniors and women transitioning into the older age group suffer from impaired memory, heart conditions, or lower life expectancy.