Beyond wrinkles: ageing, graphic medicine, and Zidrou and Aimée de Jongh’s <i>Blossoms in Autumn</i>

Ageing, an inevitable biological process, is often oversimplified, subjecting elderly individuals to both positive and negative sociocultural stereotypes. Elderly individuals are stigmatised as passive, suffering and asexual, while simultaneously being expected to embody an active, successful and productive approach towards ageing. Departing from these narrow perceptions, this article draws examples from Zidrou and Aimée de Jongh's graphic narrative <i>Blossoms in Autumn</i> to provide a nuanced perspective on the ageing process. Using the affordances of comics, this essay examines how <i>Blossoms in Autumn</i> addresses unarticulated aspects of ageing, including changing bodily features, sexuality and intimacy, among others. In so doing, this essay challenges the unilateral perceptions of ageing.