Is there a place in society for middle aged or older women?

Question

Many of the depictions of older women can be demeaning whereas younger women are often revered.. News presenters for example are usually a studious/serious man often middle aged or older coupled with a glamorous young corrected/slim/attractive female..

Many other examples - such as Mother-In-Law jokes, older women being ommited from many TV shows unless they LOOK young etc..

Is this a cultural thing or something which derives from biological drives and given cultural expression - ie society finds fertile looking women most appealling?

At 30 - I ain't young or old yet so this is not an issue for me yet - I just get irked that there seems to not be the same allowance afforded women.. that they can age and not feel bad about it.

I personally would not want to be younger again although I think the old adage -

If only youth knew and age could..

Is apt..

Answer 1

Society is obsessed with youth and so are many women, its easier to be a man and grow old. Grey hair for us men is 'distinguished' whereas for women grey hair is just old.

Answer 2

As a middle aged woman, I would say there is nothing for you to be concerned about. As you grow older you actually find that you fit into the scheme of things a whole lot better than when you were younger.

You are far more accepted as you become wiser and more knowledgeable about the things around you.

The jokey thing - mother in law etc., does not affend.

Younger women may look more appealing, but at one time I was that young appealing girl myself, but appreciate it is now time for me to move on and let the next generation have their time.

I have had a great time and cannot be envious of the younger generation. I can neither change it or stop it, I am just glad I am having such a good time.

Answer 3

Of course there is a place for middle aged and older women, they go there mostly in their late forties early fifties, stay there god knows how many years and finally come back half mad, half dead and some reckon happy jolly too, the place, MENOPAUSE, we all have to have our turn there eventually.
Personally I don't give a hoot what society thinks middle aged women should be, I have good healthy hair, soft line free skin, full lips, all I might add without the help of plastic surgery and botox, I look younger than my 30 year old niece and I'm more feminine and fitter than her too, the only thing I can't do that she can is have babies, who cares what society thinks, I love my life and enjoy it.

Answer 4

Well, I'm in society. I'm a mother-in-law and I have an ex-mother-in-law, about whom I make the standard jokes - but not in her presence.
I don't accept that when you're over sixty you have nothing more to contribute. I teach English to teenagers, I write, translate and (horror of horrors) I'm a legal representative for rejected asylum seekers - don't panic - I don't work in the UK!
And yes, when I have to go out and fight for human rights I try to look my best. But I'll tell anyone who asks exactly how old I am. I'm not over the hill by a long way. In short, there is a place in society for middle aged or older women, and you'd better believe it. Some of us still have a lot more to offer than you youngsters have ever dreamt of. Not all '68ers threw in the towel! (That's 1968 ,for the kids)

Answer 5

I believe that we can make the most impact by teaching other women, often by leading by example.

Personally, I do not yearn for the days when I was young and sexy. What a fool I made of myself, and I caused many people pain.

So, now that I have stopped doing those destructive things, I hope to affect others by my mature behavior.

Wisdom is an extremely important part of this World!

Answer 6

That's a helluva question to answer in a short space, but I guess It's fair to say that there's always someone out there who won't look down on you. I'm 45/m and my gf is 8 yrs older - does that make you feel any more confident?

Life is sometimes a trade-off between youth+enthusiasm vs experience+wisdom. Personally, I like being older.

Answer 7

I think you are generalizing . I am 56 my husband is 43! We have been married for 16 years. I take care of my self but I never have had any "work" done. We each own our own businesses . We both had them before we met. He has no children [ never wanted any]. My 8 grandchildren are the apple of my eye. Most people think my husband is older than I am. So yes there is a place for the "older woman" You just have to work for it! Men of all ages are attracted to me [ I politely let them know I am not available!]

Answer 8

men are always going to be attracted to the young.
the middle aged woman in media is not the one who sells your product or gets your TV ratings.
its certainly good that there are men out there that find the older woman attractive. it helps when the woman is confident and takes care of herself.
i keep a young attitude, but not so much it makes me look like a woman desperate to hold on to youth, but enough that i still have fun and had no shortage of men looking me up. I took myself off the market though.. found one to enjoy life with... 5 years younger.!!!

Answer 9

It is a myth forced upon us by the media and marketing losers. If you will look around you will see many glamorous older women. Not only are they glamorous but they have brains too. Maybe that is why the marketing types don't favor them more. Nothing in common.

Answer 10

i imagine you ought to win some type of prize for the most historic inaccuracies in a unmarried paragraph. Mennonites weren't round in the middle a even as. Catholics and Protestants did not "paintings mutually" to persecute Mennonites. Martin Luther King changed into born in 1929 and died in 1968. To data - Catholics persecuted Protestants of any variety in the course of the Reformation (not the middle a even as). Protestants one after the other persecuted both Catholics and different Protestants in protecting with small transformations in doctrine and attitude. Mennonites are Anabaptists (they believed in grownup baptism), and many different Protestant communities said them as heretical, so that they were persecuted. Martin Luther - not Martin Luther King - is held to have began the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther King led the conflict for civil rights in the yank South in the Fifties and Sixties.