Poppy, British Bengali with short curly hair is draping a Funshop attendee in a blue saree
Poppy, a British Bengali woman, stands with one hand on her chest and the other hand on her hip, wearing a saree

Photo credits: Libby Hiatt

Age Without Limits

On the 11th June 2025, we celebrated Age Without Limits day with a Funshop themed around the joys of ageing. We would like to thank Age Without Limits for funding this Funshop, and Indian Futures for partnering with us for this event.  

We love how each Funshop has varied because of the space and people attending. This one felt connected and joyous.

Snapshot…

The Issue…

The older population in England is growing rapidly. In the last 40 years, the number of people aged 50 and over has increased by almost 50%. People living for longer is something to celebrate, yet our society often treats the ageing population like a burden. 1 in 3 people in the UK report experiencing age prejudice or age discrimination, yet age discrimination is not considered a serious form of discrimination by a large percentage of UK society.  

Negative old-age stereotypes pose a serious threat to the elderly population. Exposure to these stereotypes and prejudices has been associated with poor health and an increased risk of dementia. Discrimination also inhibits older people from fully participating in society, increasing the loneliness epidemic and the likelihood of older people feeling isolated from their community.

Age discrimination disproportionately affects women. Our society is not kind to ageing women, who are judged harshly for their appearance, clothing, and behaviour, if it does not align with restrictive societal norms. Ageing women are often pushed to the sidelines, expected to shy away from doing the things they want to do and wearing the things they want to wear. 

We recognise that the opposite of depression is self-expression. So for Age Without Limits day, we wanted to encourage everybody to express themselves through dress, no matter what their age. 

Two women looking through sarees that have been spread across a table
a group of women wearing sarees sit in a semi-circle formation looking at a saree laid flat on the floor
Poppy, a British Bengali woman helps another woman drape a saree whilst two women watch
“The Funshop made me feel empowered, feminine, and happy”
— Afina, Funshop Attendee

Our Approach…

The Funshop took place at the JustLife Hub in Brighton. 12 people gathered, alongside instructors, for an afternoon of dress up and joy. As the attendees arrived, they were immediately captivated by the colourful array of sarees we had on display. They were invited to choose a saree they wanted to wear and were draped up in the nivi drape by the instructor.

Beginning the session with participants draped in sarees of all different colours and textures created a feeling of positivity and togetherness in the room. Despite the participants coming from all corners of the world, everyone felt connected through the shared experience of dressing up and being held by the saree.  

The session commenced with a discussion about ageism. We shared statistics about the impact of ageism in the UK and how we can challenge some of the stereotypes associated with ageing, so that we can truly age without limits. Participants were encouraged to share their own experiences of ageism if they wanted to. We endeavoured to create a space in which everyone could openly discuss their thoughts on ageing and their own internalisation of ageist thinking. 

Several participants raised the point that ageism had made them feel hesitant about wearing certain clothes and accessories. One attendee shared that she had previously loved wearing floral hair accessories, but, as she had got older, she had stopped wearing them. She believed that wearing these accessories was something she had become ‘too old for’, and feared what other people would think about her. 

This story resonated with other participants. Many of them recognised the feeling of being judged by others for trying to look ‘young’, and agreed that societal expectations of how older women ‘should’ dress held them back from wearing what they really wanted to wear. This was epitomised by one participant who stated that she was scared that people would think of her as a ‘mutton dressed as lamb’.  

This kind of thinking is incredibly damaging to the self-esteem of the older population. It discourages older people from self-expression and creates a narrow idea of what is acceptable for older people to wear. This in turn, impacts ideas of what is acceptable for older people to say, believe, and act like. 

From hearing these experiences and perspectives, we knew that we wanted participants to leave the Funshop feeling inspired to dress in the way that made them happy. And this is where the saree came to play… 

A woman wearing a saree crouches to adjust a saree laid on the ground
A white British woman is standing straight and smiling, wearing a patterned saree
A young East Asian woman stands smiling wearing a saree
Two white British women stand together, wearing sarees and smiling

Time To Drape Up!

Our discussion about ageing was followed by an open conversation about the history and politics of the saree, identity and heritage, and self-expression. We were heartened to hear how so many people believed that the saree allowed them to connect to parts of their identities that they felt less aligned to. 

One participant, who was born in India but migrated to the UK in 1948 following the Indian Partition, shared that for most of her life, she did not feel a strong connection to her cultural heritage. She added that in recent years, she felt a desire to learn more about where she came from and to embrace her culture. 

Another participant, who came to the UK after fleeing Ukraine three years ago, shared that one of her most prized possessions was a saree she had been gifted by a friend. When she left Ukraine, she had to leave it behind, along with most of her belongings. 

For both women, draping up in sarees allowed them to connect with their past and their motherlands. They both found comfort and joy in wearing sarees, and shared that the experience allowed them to learn more about themselves.

Then it was time for our participants to try their hand at draping sarees themselves! We tried a few different drapes, taking the time to work out what styles felt right for individuals. Some people felt right at home in the nivi drape, others felt empowered by the dhoti drape. Regal, empowered, fluid, and strong, were just some of the words used to describe how wearing the saree made people feel. The saree is a garment that does not discriminate - anyone, young or old, can wear it in a way that feels both comfortable and beautiful. This was reflected in the variety of ways people chose to wear their sarees.

It was wonderful to see different generations being experimental with the saree and enjoying the act of dressing as a communal activity. So much of the joy of sarees is dressing up with family and friends, helping to perfect pleats and pinning parts into place, which participants got to experience first-hand. There was a strong feeling of support and encouragement to play and have fun, creating a truly joyous environment. 

Two south Asian women dressed in sarees smile at the camera. The background features balloons
A Ukranian woman is smiling at the camera, wearing a saree. The background features tree-patterned wall paper
A white British woman wearing glasses and a saree smiles over her shoulder toward the camera

"I felt connected to the present moment and connected to the people around me”

-Ayesha, Funshop Attendee

“I learnt so much from Poppy who taught us about expressing ourselves through wearing the saree”

-Afina, Funshop Attendee

“There are no improvements [to the Funshop] that I can think of. It was a great day.”

- Pauline, Funshop Attendee

A Ukranian woman wearing an orange saree stands on her side and smiles at the camera
Two British women look toward each other in front of a mirror, visible in the mirror reflection
A south Asian woman and white British women dressed in sarees sit on chairs and converse
Two European women dressed in sarees stand straight and smile at the camera
ten women of varying ages and races smile at the camera. All are dressed in sarees, three women crouch while seven stand straight.
A woman with black hair wearing a blue saree helps a woman with ginger hair to put on a black saree
A south Asian woman with curly hear wearing a blu saree stands straight with one hand on her chest and the other hand on her hip
Three women wearing sarees stand together and converse
A white British woman with dark hair wearing a saree looks excited and a South Asian woman smiles from behind her
Two hands pleating an orange saree
An older white British woman wearing a vest dresses in a green saree. Next to her a younger white British woman wearing a t shirt dresses in a black saree
a South Asian woman wearing a blue and red saree drapes a red saree on a white British woman with ginger hair
a South Asian woman wearing a saree helps a White British woman put on a saree, whilst another older British woman watches
A White British woman with curly white hair smiles and laughs while being helped to dress in a saree
A south Asian woman wearing a green and black top smiles away from the camera, in front of a foliage background
A pile of colourful sarees laying on a table