Love, Sex, and Aging
For those too young to remember, “Backseat Bingo” is a 1950’s term for light sexual activity (or more) that occurs in the back seat of a vehicle (http://www.urbandictionary.com). Liz Blazer’s Backseat Bingo is a 6-min animated documentary that invites a handful of retired elders to share their personal attitudes and values about sex, romance, and aging.
It is a remarkably novel film—novel in its format, frankly expressed content, and brevity. The resulting blend of these novel features is a valuable trigger film useful for educators who seek to catalyze discussion about sex, romance, and aging among student viewers of all ages. These elders strongly endorse active sexuality. However, it is not the intent of this film nor of Eager for Your Kisses (reviewed below) to invent or to reinforce a new stereotype of “the hypersexual elder” to compete with that of “the sexless elder.” Students must remain aware that primary and secondary aging as well as cohort and socio-historical influences create considerable variation in sexual preferences, sexual needs, and sexual expression among populations of older adults.