Aging is part of a social process in American culture which begins with a narrative of progress and growth in childhood, and quickly becomes a narrative of decline as we move towards middle age. The societal stigma of growing older is determined by external structures and marks the decline of our economic value as workers and our perceived value as human beings. Pierre Bourdieu describes this process as a form of social aging which leads people to resign themselves to their socially stratified existence and make do with who they are and what they have.
Drawing from Bourdieu and Jack Halberstam’s concept of queer temporalities, this paper examines temporalities of aging presented in the IFC television sketch comedy Portlandia. The show is a contemporary representation of the complexities of middle class adulthood which explores and gently satirizes the dynamics of friendships and romantic relationships between middle aged adults in a fictionalized version of Portland, Oregon; a city proud of its commitment to independence, creativity, and nonconformity. Through a discussion of two of the show’s couples, platonic life mates Fred and Carrie, and Elder Goths Vince and Jacqueline, this paper argues that the temporalities present in Portlandia theorize alternatives to social aging. Fred and Carrie’s loving, non-sexual partnership presents an alternative to marriage and child-rearing. Jacqueline and Vince’s alternative temporality, shaped by macabre Gothic styles and values, revels in planning the end of life - which for Goths, is only the beginning. Understanding these visual representations of aging portrayed in Portlandia encourages us to be true to ourselves as we move throughout our lifespans.
About the presenterLeah Bush
Leah Bush is a second year doctoral student in the American Studies program at the University of Maryland. She holds an M.A. in American Studies with a Graduate Certificate in Museum Studies and Material Culture from the University of Maryland, and a B.A. in Sociology from Eastern University. Her research interests center around an interdisciplinary examination of relationships between popular culture, identity formation, and performances of aging within musical subcultures, focusing on the Goth subculture.