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Fabulous, fierce and over 40: women breaking barriers on social media and television
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Fabulous, fierce and over 40: women breaking barriers on social media and television
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Content
Fabulous, Fierce And Over 40:
Women Breaking Barriers
On Social Media and Television
Linda Wolff
Specialized Journalism
Master of Arts
University of Southern California
December 2017
2
Abstract
Like many of the women who came before me, I look to the previous generation
for clues of what it means to be a woman: How to love, how to live and how to age. I am
aware of the archaic messages and rules that have bombarded women. Rules meant to
keep women in their place, which was under their parent’s careful watch or dutifully by
their husband’s side. Rules of behavior: Don’t be too loud, too strong, too lustful, too
ambitious. Rules of how they are to dress and look, especially as they age.
Old messages about what it means to be a woman of a certain age, and the myth
that women became invisible once they hit the big 5-O.
I found it inspiring to find so many women breaking barriers and resisting old
stereotypes in my research of style influencers on Instagram and actresses on television.
After looking at hundreds of photos on Instagram of female fashion influencers between
40-80, my perception of there being a “right or wrong way” to dress changed. I have
learned that clothes are more than just utilitarian; they can also be a means of expression
and empowerment. Witnessing their bold, creative, stylish, tasteful ensembles reminds
me that I don’t need to prescribe to some antiquated story of what it means to be a
woman, or how I should represent myself as a woman getting older. And its effect has
been truly liberating.
Though how we see ourselves on the outside is only part of it. Embracing and
celebrating our power we have on the inside is now more apparent than ever in many of
the characters women are portraying on television. Women are no longer playing just the
attractive arm piece on a man, or someone’s mom or the helpless wife. They are playing
characters that are equally powerful, if not more so, than men. Art is finally mimicking
3
life, and for the first time women are able to see their most powerful selves on reflected
on screen. We are all living longer, and remaining powerful, relevant and vibrant in the
second half of our lives is our right. Life does not end after 50, nor are we invisible
either. Women have made huge strides, but we’ve still got a long way to go.
Thankfully, this is not your mother’s 50 or grandmother’s 70. The next generation
of women is depending on it.
Behold our new role models.
4
Table of Contents
Abstract 2
The new face of Instagram: Age is not a variable. 5
Older women on television: I am woman, hear me roar. 15
Over 40 and midlife reinvention: Well-behaved women seldom make history. 23
Resources 29
5
The new face of Instagram: Age is not a variable.
Lyn Slater, aka The Accidental Icon, has over 225,000 Instagram followers.
She was a vision in black. Wore dark sunglasses indoors. And sported black-
wedge heels high enough to make me dizzy.
If Jack Nicolson were a woman, he would be Lyn Slater.
Lyn Slater, aka the Accidental Icon, is a 63-year old badass: An Instagram
sensation, or as she calls herself a ‘fashion influencer,’ known for her high quality
6
photos, bold, avant-garde fashion, edgy grey hairdo, steely stare, and take-no-prisoners
attitude.
Slater and I spoke before she joined the other panelists at USC Annenberg’s
“Fashion and Social Media: Influencers in the age of Instagram” discussion this past
March. I instantly felt self-conscious and blurted out that I was wearing what my
daughter jokingly refers to as my ‘soccer mom’ outfit. She brushed it off with an
uncharacteristic warm smile (if you’ve seen her photos, you’ll know what I mean) and
told me I looked great.
It is impossible not to like Slater who is warm and friendly in person, and works
hard to connect with most of her followers on social media with likes or comments – as
she cares more about building relationships and putting you at ease, then her own
budding celebrity.
You would seek her out as a friend - the coolest friend you’ll ever know. And you
would be lucky to have her as your professor should you find yourself a graduate student
studying social work at Fordham University, where she teaches when she’s not setting the
fashion world on fire.
Slater didn’t intend to become a fashion icon, it happened by accident. After
being mistaken for a fashion industry insider while standing outside an exhibit, she
realized people are allured by her sense of style and decided to create a blog that
showcases cutting-edge fashion, her own personal style. “The topic that interests me the
most is the relationship between clothing and identity. I think clothing can profoundly
change who you are and profoundly express who you are, better than words,” Slater said.
7
When speaking on the panel at USC, Slater stated that before she created her blog
“I did a lot of research about blogs for older women and I couldn’t find anything that
spoke to who I am and didn’t try to put me in a category. I didn’t want to be in a
category. This is about pleasure, how the clothes transform me and allow me to show my
identity. People are tired of seeing celebrities. The vast amount of my followers are
younger people who felt oppressed by they way society has talked about aging. And the
opportunities you may or may not have, as you get old. How you should look, should you
start a new career or retire. Everything about aging is anti, anti-aging products. What
gives me the most excitement is giving younger people this alternative view of what it
means to be an older person in this world.” (24)
Slater is quick to reveal that most of her 225,000 fans are young women 18-35
outside the U.S. She has been featured in almost every major fashion magazine
internationally; however, she has yet to been featured in one fashion magazine here in the
U.S. She surmises that U.S. has always been slow to catch up. Older women are not as
revered here, as they are overseas.
“I went through a process when it came to aging. There was a very big disconnect
between how I was experiencing myself internally and things that were happening to my
body. I didn’t like it at first and at some point I had to accept the fact that aging is
inevitable, it happens to everyone and there is nothing you can do to control it. You have
to accept it and try to be the best you can be. I think that as a woman gets older there is a
difference in the kind of attention that you may receive and so I just started to pay more
attention than I had before to the kinds of clothes I was wearing. I began to use my
8
clothes as a creative way to express myself in the world. It began to get me a lot of
attention.” (23)
Lyn Slater is not the first, female silver-haired fox to be celebrated, but she is the
latest. Before her came Carmen Dell’Orefice, 85, who is the oldest super model in the
world, and Iris Apfel, a 95-year-old interior designer and fashion icon, who happens to
boast half a million Instagram followers.
If you think this is a rare phenomenon, think again. There are hundreds more style
bloggers or fashion influencers between 40-70, with shiny new websites and Instagram
accounts popping up every day in all corners of the world.
Just as style influencers have reinvented themselves online, so have multitudes of
former “mom” bloggers who now want an identity beyond being a mother, and are
pursuing careers as freelance writers, marketing experts, life coaches and more.
Women over 40 and beyond, who once had a hard time finding their reflections in
mainstream magazines, are suddenly able to see themselves or who they aspire to be –
online in blogs and Instagram in droves. According to Pew Research 87% of adults aged
50-64 go online, and the numbers rise each year, so it is not surprising that more style
bloggers are coming onto the scene. Demand is growing. (20)
Trailing behind Lyn Slater’s Accidental Icon, the most popular style influencers
are Bag and Beret, Fabulous After 40, That’s Not My Age, Fashionista Over 40, but there
are hundreds more pushing the envelope to varying degrees: From conservative in kitten
heals and pearls to denim and leather. There is something for everyone. What is the one
thing they have in common? They’re sexy, sassy and have attitude for miles. (14)
9
Hundreds of thousands of followers flock to Instagram each day to see these
women.
Beth Djalali, a slim stylish 59 year old with an edgy grey pixie cut, started her
blog Style at a Certain Age four years ago when she couldn’t find anyone online who
looked like her. She, like many other style bloggers her age, wears jeans, leather, short
skirts, sleeveless tops, and heels. Close to 60,000 fans follow her traditional style with a
10
twist. And if looking good is the best revenge, well, so is making money. Beth Djalali, in
addition to other high profile 40+ style bloggers, rakes in the bucks being the face and
body for women craving to see real women their age modeling clothes they might want to
wear. Clothing brands seek out these older influencers because they know their audience
is who they want to attract: Women with money to spend. (18)
Sarah Jane Adams, 62, silver-haired and an Instagram icon, is the face behind
Saramaijewels, which has 150 thousand followers, most of whom are 15-35. Her
message to them when interviewed on ABC Australia: “We don’t all have to look the
same or have fake hair. You’ve got to keep it real and be comfortable in your own skin.”
(22)
Dorrie Jacobson, the woman behind SeniorStyleBible, is 82-years-young and
boasts over 40 thousand followers and claims not a day goes by when men and women
don’t compliment her on her style or ask where they can buy what she’s wearing. “Times
have changed, mature fashionistas are now refusing to sink from sight in a sea of blue
rinse and fluffy slippers. Recently, we have noticed a growing movement that is shifting
to embrace older beauty. Style mavens are taking the ‘old’ out of ‘old-fashioned’ - and
women over 50 are suddenly being chosen for major ad campaigns. In a youth oriented
culture, the mature woman is finally being celebrated.” Amen, sister. (14, 18)
Thousands of followers flock to these women as a way to see themselves that
rarely is portrayed in magazines. They are an inspiration not only to women their age, but
are a beacon of hope to legions of younger women who don’t want to age like their
mothers or grandmothers.
11
Lyn Slater bases her popularity on presenting an alternative view to aging to
young people. A symbol of anti-anti-aging, if you will. She told me “What I hear from
these young people all the time is ‘You’re so cool, we want to be like you.’ These kids
don’t want to reject aging. They just don’t want to get old in the way that’s been
presented to them in the past,” - a time when hitting 60 or 70 might have meant
retirement. “I have potentially another 20 years of doing amazing things.” (23)
Young followers want to reject the notion that getting old means losing their edge,
style, identity and relevance. Their message: Beauty and style has no age limit. A
sampling of the hashtags used to search for older fashion and style influencers says it all:
#ageisnotavariable, #mywrinklesaremystripes, #stylenotage, #styleforever, #ageless.
Any doubts that women might feel they’ve become invisible are obliterated with
comments from fans, a literal gushing of approval, admiration, and awe. They write:
“Love this look,” “Gorgeous,” “You’re cooler than me,” “You’re badass,” and best of all,
“I want to be you when I grow up.”
Instagram has given life and a platform to a whole generation of bold, barrier-
breaking women who came of age during the 1960s and 1970s who look nothing like the
cookie-cutter super young nubile models we’re accustomed to. And the fashion industry
has started to take note.
In 2014, Ladies’ Home Journal, a 130-year-old publishing institution favored by
middle-aged women ceased publishing its beloved monthly magazine due to declining ad
sales. Two years later, in 2016, More Magazine, also geared toward middle-aged women,
stopped publishing as well. Former LHJ editor in chief, Myrna Blyth (now media
editorial director for AARP), told Ad Week: “The Boomers (those born between 1940-
12
1964) are the magazine readers of America, but I think that sometimes magazines try to
run away from their readers. Advertisers are still not accepting the fact that the Boomers
remain the largest demo, the richest demo, the most supportive demo. Hollywood is
making more movies for older demos because they realize that; it’s amazing that print
magazines don’t want to recognize something that’s apparent to the movie industry.” (2)
“The problem was advertisers who wanted to sell products to this demographic –
whether skin care or high-end fashions the reader could afford – would only put their ads
in magazines for far younger readers who don’t buy or can’t afford their products,”
former More Magazine editor-in-chief, Leslie Jane Seymore said. (12)
In June 2017, People Magazine did a photo layout celebrating models over 50 and
they are more popular than ever. The list of stunning A-listers: Vanessa Redgrave (79),
13
Veruschka (78), Susan Sarandon (69), Sissy Spacek (66), Courtney Love (52), Bette
Midler (70), Veronica Webb (50), Christie Brinkley (61), Twiggy (65), Joni Mitchell
(71), Joan Didion (80), Helen Mirren (69), Jane Fonda (77), Lauren Hutton (71), Tilda
Swinton (54), Jessica Lange (65), Charlotte Rampling (68), Nicole Kidman (50),
Madonna (58), Monica Bellucci (52), and Julianne Moore (56). (1,3)
These beauties are represented in numerous upscale fashion and beauty brands,
including Gucci, Dolci & Gabana, Saint Laurent, Celine, Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, J.
Crew, Gap L’Oreal, Nars, Neutrogena, Barney’s New York, J. Crew, and more, which
have begun including older legendary actresses, super-models and celebrities in their
expensive print magazine advertisements. A far cry from the rare in it’s day, 1970s
Blackglama ad campaign, “What becomes a Legend most?” featuring Hollywood’s
biggest stars, most of whom were over 50: Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Marlene
Dietrich, Lena Horne, and Carol Channing, just to name a few.
“There were over four times as many models over age 50 in the Fall 2017 fashion
shows – in New Work, Paris, London and Paris – as there were employed for Spring
2016,” as reported last March in “Fashion Week’s Hottest New Models Were Older
Women” on The Huffington Post. (7)
14
“We are the generation, people my age, who were burning their bras, wanting free
love, demonstrating against the war, so to think we wouldn’t challenge the status quo of
aging? I’ve been rebellious my entire life,” Slater said in an interview with TODAY.com.
(16)
“I think most of the messages about aging are that you have to reject being old.
It’s time for a new outlook on what it means to be older,” said Slater, who never
discusses age on her blog. Her Instagram hashtag says it all: #AgeIsNotAVariable. (23)
But to focus only on older-barrier-breaking Instagram sensations, models or
fashion influencers would be a mistake. Great change doesn’t usually happen in a flash.
15
Older women on television: I am woman, hear me roar.
In the 1970s, when I was a tween, that precarious age between child and
adolescent, my small screen heroine was Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett. Each
week I’d plant myself in front of the TV to watch the Angels latest adventure, and of
course, to see what they were wearing. And I wasn’t alone. Legions of young girls, me
included, blow-dried their hair into picture perfect waves that the infamous Charlie would
have approved of, and thought it was normal to run in heels.
16
It wasn’t long before Farrah Fawcett’s success skyrocketed and she did what
almost all TV actors did when they hit a certain level of success in television: they
pursued a career in major motion pictures.
Fifty-foot movie screens were the Holy Grail for any actor. Television was where
you got your foot in the door and couldn’t wait to leave.
When major stars suddenly appeared in a movie of the week or had a cameo on a
show, it was a sign their movie career was over. It was a backwards slide for movie has-
beens, and TV personalities that never made it beyond the box in your living room,
because then no one went there willingly.
A few wrong turns in a career or aging out of what’s sellable (sex sells), and
boom – you became a game show lifer sitting in one of the little boxes on Hollywood
Squares or a TV game show host.
All that has changed. Women have relaunched or continued their careers on
television, and they’re no longer just playing roles typically given to women: someone’s
mom, wife, nurse or teacher. Now they’re presidents, vice presidents, secretaries of state,
and CEOs.
Women have been redefining their roles in life for years and it is finally reflected
on the screen.
According to Mary Murphy, a prominent entertainment journalist, news producer
and journalism professor at USC, this has been a long time coming.
“I was hired to be a television reporter when I was 43-years-old. In the past, in
this arena, your career was over when you were 40. And then I returned to television at
60 and was on the air every night,” said Murphy. “Things started to change when women
17
over 40 could be on TV, like, Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives. But the real
change came when big movie stars like Glenn Close, went to television, and suddenly
women over 50 were playing roles” that weren’t just about being someone’s mother. (17)
At a recent USC Annenberg panel, “Over Sixty, Underestimated: A healthy look
at aging, on Hollywood and Aging,” Gary Lucchesi, film producer and president of
Lakeshore Films, agrees. “TV affords women over 60 incredible opportunities. I think
audiences are changing and no longer want to see a much older actor with a young
actress.” (15)
In August 2016, popular senior living blog, After55.com, created a list of the
“Top Shows Starring Women Over 50.” In the over 50 categories are Cougar Town
(starring Courteney Cox), Veep (starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus), House of Cards (starring
Robin Wright), Weeds (starring Mary-Louise Parker), How To Get Away With Murder
(starring Viola Davis), The Walking Dead (Melissa McBride). In the over 60 were old
favorites: Murder, She Wrote and Golden Girls. In their 70s and 80s was a bounty of
gold: Downton Abbey (starring Maggie Smith), Last Tango in Halifax, and Grace and
Frankie (starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin). (28)
Where television has succeeded, major motion pictures have failed. “Forty is the
sell-by date for women in film,” laments Dr. Stacy Smith, professor and director of the
Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at USC’s School for Communication and
Journalism. (25)
“Television is financed by commercials which allows them to have older people
in shows. The better writers are working in television and that’s where you have the
18
greater variety,” Lucchesi told the panel. Blockbuster movies rely on ticket sales and are
geared toward a younger audience, like Star Wars or animated features, like Frozen. (15)
Hopefully, it’s just a matter of time until major motion pictures being to make
movies that reflect what our real lives look like. Dr. Yoglangel Hernandez, an ob-gyn,
and CMO of Humana, a health insurance company, said at the panel, “We are becoming
aware of what is called the social determinants of health. Movies and pop culture play a
role in seeing ourselves in a positive life in the future.” (11)
It is now that we are truly seeing the effects of the women’s movement. It went
beyond breaking barriers for women in the workplace, reforms on issues such as equal
pay and reproductive rights and women’s suffrage. We are breaking the age barrier too.
Mega movie stars over 40, like Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Michelle
Pfeifr, Kerri Washington, Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon and Jane Fonda have flocked to
television in numbers never seen before. And it’s not just the women, it’s men, too.
Robert Deniro, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Costner, Will Smith. But it’s
the women who are now portraying women we can aspire to, not just moms or pretty
arm-pieces. And they’re paid handsomely, though still not as much as men. (5, 10)
“The change has been coming over the last few years, with women over 40
playing powerful women, not just mothers,” said Murphy. (17)
Industry insiders call it the “Golden Age of television.” Over the last few years a
slew of publications contend that Hollywood’s A-list actors were flocking to television
and leaving major motion pictures behind, which seem more driven by blockbusters and
Oscar contenders, rather excellent writing and complex characters.
19
The internet’s live streaming capabilities, led by Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu has
drawn the biggest names in box office history, because they “gives actors more freedom
in the projects they choose and provides exposure to a large consumer base without
worrying about box office numbers, linear TV subscriptions, or even ratings,” reported in
Digital Trends. This has had a huge impact on how people watch movies, which is in the
comfort of their own home. (19)
“The fact you’re that age and you’re still out there doing it and you still have
power and you can build more power. Jessica Lange, 68, she was this sexy movie star
and now she’s a staple of television. It’s about power. And women are using it in
different forms,” said Murphy. (17)
Another reason female actors turn to TV and digital series (cable and streaming,
such as HBO and Hulu) rather than film, is “female characters fill only 28.7% of all
speaking roles in film,” while the number of roles is closer to 38% in television. Also,
almost three-quarters of the leads, co leads or actors carrying an ensemble cast in film
were male (73.5%) and 26.5% (n=41) were female. This is in stark contrast to TV/digital
series. A full 42% of series regulars were girls/women.10 Streaming featured the most
females in the principal cast (44.2%), followed by broadcast (41.6%) and cable (41%).
Women are still woefully underrepresented. (5)
Men dominate the roles of characters in film over 40 years of age, with a
whopping 74% going to them, and women only filling 26%. “Film was less likely than
broadcast or cable to show women 40 years of age or older.12 Streaming was the most
likely, with females filling 33.1% of roles for middle age and elderly characters.”(5)
20
Behind the camera isn’t much better. Female directors and writers are severely
underrepresented in film. While there are more female writers in television, cable and
streaming, their numbers still remain less than half to those of men.
The most powerful female characters 40-50 are Kerry Washington (Scandal) 40,
Lena Headey (Game of Thrones) 43, Melissa McBride (The Walking Dead) 52, Empire
(Taraji P. Henson) 46, Thandi Newton (Westworld) 44, Tea Leoni (48). These women
represent presidents, CEOs, secretary of state. Women in control of their own lives.
TV (broadcast, cable and digital streaming) offers complicated, interesting, juicy
roles for women over 40 that don’t portray women as helpless, powerless or just maternal
figures or as crones. And as of July 2017, half of the Emmy award nominees for
performing in a comedy, drama or movie, are women over 40.
While TV is making huge strides in appealing to an older demographic,
advertisers in general are lagging behind. Either you see television commercials with
young moms doing laundry, or older men and women reaching for arthritis medication or
staring longingly at each other having just bridged the erectile dysfunction conundrum
with Cialis.
Despite the fact that there are over 111 million people over 50 in America who
“control 70 percent of the country’s disposable income, are not weighed down by
mortgages, and account for 80 percent of America’s luxury travel spending,” their group
is largely ignored. The coveted demographic is 18-34, and drops off significantly until it
reaches the cut-off at 49, when advertisers no longer seem to care and, although their data
tells them otherwise, pretend that those over 49 don’t spend their money. This is a huge
oversight because while conventional wisdom amongst advertisers has been that younger
21
people make lifetime consuming decisions, older consumers are open to trying new
products. (30)
Even though there are slightly more male births than female, statistically women
outlive men. The male female population evens out between 35-40. Then women begin to
outnumber the men, according to AARP. Despite slightly more male births than female,
women make up slightly more than half the U.S. population. Women are a powerful
group that shouldn’t be ignored. (30)
"Women have made incredible strides in the past fifty years and the wealth and
power they hold will only increase in years to come," Mary Jo Herseth, National Head of
Banking, BMO Private Bank, said in a release touting the study published in Business
Insider. “Women have overtaken men and now control more than half of all U.S. wealth
and will likely take an even bigger piece of the pie in coming years,” a study has
revealed. About 51 percent, or $14 trillion, of American personal wealth is now
controlled by women, according to the Bank of Montreal's Wealth Institute.” That is
roughly 30% of the world’s wealth, according to their study. “The Canadian bank also
expects them to control about $22 trillion by 2020. (8)
When the subject of retirement came up at the USC panel, Lucchesi told the
audience, “Those of us in our 60s, yes some are relaxing, but a lot of us are still moving
forward rather aggressively.” (15)
Matching this sentiment, Murphy said, “We’re a generation of women who didn’t
stay home. We went out and worked, many as working mothers,” during a time when the
nation changed and many husbands and wives both needed to work to maintain a two-car
22
lifestyle. ”And just because we’re now over 50 or 60 doesn’t mean we’re all of a sudden
going to stop. The race is not over.” (17)
23
Over 40 and midlife reinvention: Well-behaved women seldom make history.
This feisty spirit is not just reserved for the entertainment industry.
The sentiment from many women over 50 and 60 is they have no intention of
slowing down, even if they wanted to.
For many Americans, early retirement has lost its lustre. More people over 65 are
working now than decades ago, and the numbers continue to rise. This is due to changes
in pensions, higher costs of living, and social security benefits, which requires recipients
to wait longer to reap their earned benefits, therefore require them to work longer so they
don’t dip into their savings.
However, if you’re one of the fiscally lucky, you work because you still can.
24
”Lengthening life spans, improved health and staying connected” are important to
those who want to remain active and relevant. Many who choose to work beyond the
monetary rewards enjoy the social interactions and mental challenges working adds to
their lives. And studies have shown that ”People who feel they have a purpose in life live
longer and are likely to outlive their peers.” They also tend to be happier. (26)
While workingwomen and working moms were slaying it for years, many women
dropped out of the workforce to raise children or help care for aging or sick family
members. Many of those women are reentering the workforce wanting to relaunch their
careers. Some out of necessity because they need the income. Some from the desire to
create or be challenged. Or both.
Those women who were fortunate enough to be able to stay home to raise their
kids and no longer encumbered by childrearing are finding that midlife is their time to
shine. I should know, I am one of them.
After years of stay-at-home-moms pouring themselves into parenting- one day
their children will fly from the nest and they are left with themselves.
While many of us might rejoice at the drastic decrease in grocery bills or the
dwindling pile of laundry, most of us look around for the first time in years, and notice
the silence. No messy rooms to clean; no curfews to insist on; no social media to monitor.
Parenting from afar has become the norm, whether we like it or not. And now it’s just us,
and hopefully a caring partner we haven’t left behind. The time is ripe to materialize a
second act.
When I grew up I had few independent female role models. The women in my
life- my mother, my grandmothers, aunts, and later, my mother-in-law stuck to strict
25
feminine roles and lived in a carefully curated bubble. Their world was their children and
husbands.
After becoming empty nesters they filled their day with bridge, mahjong, lunch,
tennis or volunteering, while remaining available to their husbands’ every whim. I
wonder where they placed all their pent-up creativity and energy. I know if I’d followed
that pattern, I would have gone insane.
I am the first in my family’s generation of women to work, graduate from college
and graduate school, and have a career. Every shaky step I take breaks with my family’s
norms. Not having an ambitious, independent, strong female role model in my family has
made my journey challenging and sometimes strangely unfamiliar.
Helene Stelian, professional life coach focused on women’s midlife transitions
and founder of Next Act for Women said, “Many of us are finally ready to craft a future
unbounded by society, family and self-imposed goals that no longer fit who we are.” (27)
Other women facing the midlife transition- between the ages of 40-65- have
followed a similar path toward fulfillment. Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Lynne
Appel, followed a dream to become a rabbi in midlife; and Dr. Margaret Rutherford, a
former jazz singer, became a psychologist. Some of the most notable women to flourish
during midlife were Julia Child, Martha Stewart, Erma Bombeck, Nina Zagat and Vera
Wang.
At 52, I finally had the nerve to fulfill a lifelong dream of going to graduate
school to get a master’s degree in journalism. While the gutsiest part might have been
taking the GRE (Graduate School Entrance Exam), since I haven’t flexed my math
muscles in decades, the bravest part was showing up everyday. Between the demands of
26
the intense one-year program and being the oldest student in the class (I could literally be
“mom” to the majority of the students) it required a fearlessness and fortitude I didn’t
possess in my younger years.
Well-meaning friends, who thought I was brave, and perhaps, a little crazy, to go
back to school and suffer through exams and homework, asked, “Why would you want to
put yourself through this?” They urged me to learn mahjong, take up golf, or be a “lady
who lunches.” I enjoy lunch with my girlfriends just fine, but I couldn’t imagine not
living my passion, which was writing, and my dream of getting a master’s degree so I
would have the qualifications to teach.
Something powerful happens to women when they reach middle age. “Midlife is a
great time for self-reflection and for shedding external expectations, for honoring who we
are and our own needs. Many of us are finally ready to craft a future unbounded by
society, family, and self-imposed goals that no longer fit who we are. I am no longer
ruled by fear,” said professional life coach and founder of Next Act For Women, Helene
Stelian, who is focused on midlife women’s transitions.
It’s true that what was once the birth of dreams of retirement is now fertile ground
for explosive creativity or entrepreneurship, as more women discover themselves after
their primary parenting role ends. For women who have been working all along, it’s not
uncommon to see complete career changes, and entrepreneurial endeavors that allow
them to have more flexible hours and the ability to work from home.
“We become more comfortable with ourselves and less concerned about what
society thinks of us. I have shifted from being someone’s “mom” to someone who has an
identity of my own, and have made my marriage the primary focus of my personal life,”
27
shares Sharon Greenthal, writer at Empty House Full Mind and co-creator of Midlife
Boulevard, an online magazine devoted to midlife women. (9)
“Because I think it’s something that happens when you get older, you have
mastered a lot of things and I think the opinions of others become less important. I think
that maybe for other people who felt like they had to follow rules for a lot of their life
that sometimes when you get older you I don’t need to follow them anymore,” fashion
influencer, Lyn Slater said in our interview. (23)
Hence the popular clichés: “You’re only as old as you feel” and “Age is just a
number.” How you chose to live your life, what stereotypes you accept or reject, and
even how you dress can also play into how fast you age and how old you view yourself.
Still, not every woman in midlife is feeling the rosy glow.
“It depends on acceptance of aging. I’ve talked to many who hate the aging
process so actively that fighting it takes up a huge portion of their life energy,” said Dr.
Margaret Rutherford. (21)
So what is the key to handling that huge transition into this new phase of life?
“Besides good health, the key to a fulfilling midlife (and beyond) is a positive
attitude and acceptance of yourself,” Greenthal said. “Challenge yourself and take risks.
Stay connected to family and friends,” and continue to expand your social circle
suggested Stelian. “Always look for opportunities to learn,” Rutherford said. “And an
abundance of gratitude, laughter, and humility,” don’t hurt either. (9, 21)
Seeking out great role models during our “second act” keeps us on our path. I
look beyond my own bubble to seek out strong, independent role models, like Gloria
Steinem, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Margaret Thatcher, Sheryl Sandberg and Hillary Clinton,
28
who’ve paved the way and continue to blaze the path for us. As well, as the many women
on Instagram and television who refuse to be invisible or boxed into a category not of
their liking.
“When women pass 50, in some ways, their lives get better. It’s like: Who cares?
What do we have to lose to not be brave? Our children are grown. So go for it,” said Jane
Fonda in a New York Times interview. (13)
As I go through this journey of discovery of who I am when I’m not just “mom”, I
couldn’t agree with her more. And I am grateful to have countless woman to look up to
on TV, social media, and in every day life who have blazed the path for me, and feel a
responsibility towards a younger generation of women looking to me to shine the light for
them. As Lyn Slater of the Accidental Icon said, “It’s time to change how we think about
aging.” (23)
These same women who came of age in the 60s and 70s, who burned their bras
and rebelled against “ man” and the establishment and wars, are refusing to go quietly
into the night as they age. They are still doing it their way. This is not your mom’s sixty,
that’s for certain. Women today are redefining what it means to get older. Redefining
beauty and power, and chaffing at our culture’s vision of what that used to look like.
Challenging our perceptions, attitudes and biases. When scores of young women say this
is what they want to be what they grow up, you know you’ve touched a nerve. We can
only hope it’s the beginning of a cultural revolution forever changing the way we view
aging.
Women, we will persist.
29
Resources
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163871/
4. Choueiti, Marc, Pieper, Katherine, and Smith, Stacy, “Comprehensive Annenberg
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x
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50_us_58cbcf07e4b00705db4e642f
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‘Will Only Increase in Years to Come.’” Business Insider. April 7, 2015.
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11. Hernandez, Dr. Yoglandgel, “Over 60, Underestimated: A Healthy look at aging.”
Panel on aging and gender in in the entertainment industry. University of Southern
California. Feb. 16, 2017.
30
12. Kelly, Keith J., “Meredith’s More magazine is not more after April.” New York Post.
Feb. 25, 2016.
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13. Koblin, John, “Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, Togeter Again, in ‘Grace and Frankie.’”
New York Times. April 23, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/arts/jane-fonda-
and-lily-tomlin-together-again-in-grace-and-frankie.html
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game.” Popsugar. April 6, 2017. https://www.popsugar.com/fashion/Fashion-Bloggers-
Over-50-43049004
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and gender in in the entertainment industry. University of Southern California. Feb. 16,
2017.
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Today. Jan. 30, 2017. http://www.today.com/style/63-accidental-icon-lyn-slater-breaks-
fashion-barriers-t107396
17. Murphy, Mary. Personal Interview. April 25, 2017.
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photo.html#slide1
19. Persaud, Christine, “Why Hollywood A-Listers are flocking to TV and ruling the
small screen.” Digital Trends. May 21, 2016.
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News (Australia). Oct. 2, 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFuCkHobJL4
23. Slater, Lyn. Phone Interview. May 1, 2017.
24. Slater, Lyn. “Fashion and Social Media: Influencers in the age of Instagram.” Panel
discussion. University of Southern California. Mar. 30, 2017.
31
25. Smith, Dr. Stacy, “Over 60, Underestimated: A Healthy look at aging.” Panel on
aging and gender in in the entertainment industry. University of Southern California, Feb.
16, 2017.
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Times. August 1, 2016.
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/health/retirement-working-longer.html
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shows-starring-women-over-50/
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http://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-2014/advertising-to-baby-
boomers.html
Photo Credits
Apatoff, Alex, “Sixties Supermodel Veruschka, 78, Is Back as the Face of Acne Studios,
Plus More Models Over 50.” People. June 8, 2017. Accessed July 2, 2017.
http://people.com/style/celebrity-models-over-50-years-old/veruschka-78
Bazilian, Emma. “Why Older Women Are The New It-Girls Of Fashion.” Ad Week,
April 6, 2015. Accessed July 20, 2017.
http://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/why-older-women-are-new-it-girls-fashion-
163871/
Djalali, Beth. “Five O’clock.” Instagram, July 2, 2017. Accessed July 20, 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BWEEhOzAtgP/?taken-by=styleatacertainage.
Djalali, Beth. “Tee Time.” Instagram, May 4, 2017. Accessed July 10, 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BTrp52KArqv/?taken-by=styleatacertainage
Feldman, Jamie, “Fashion Week’s Hottest New Models were Older Women.” Huffington
Post. Mar. 17,2017. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/models-over-
50_us_58cbcf07e4b00705db4e642f
Gunderman, Heather. “Robin Wright Penn’s Short Layered Razor Cut At The NYC
Premiere of ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.” Livingly. Dec. 15, 2011. Accessed July
15, 2017.
http://www.livingly.com/Celebrity+Hair/articles/SHT94GEsHWb/Robin+Wright+Penn+
Short+Layered+Razor+Cut
32
Jacobson, Dorrie. “Older Broads Wear Heals.” Instagram, July 14, 2017. Accessed July
15, 2017. https://www.instagram.com/p/BWijxVygVmq/?taken-by=seniorstylebible
Slater, Lyn. “Never Too Late To Be A Babe.” Instagram, Dec. 5, 2016. Accessed June
14, 2017. https://www.instagram.com/p/BNqVD5ZDLld/?taken-by=iconaccidental
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Abstract (if available)
Abstract
Like many of the women who came before me, I look to the previous generation for clues of what it means to be a woman: How to love, how to live and how to age. I am aware of the archaic messages and rules that have bombarded women. Rules meant to keep women in their place, which was under their parent’s careful watch or dutifully by their husband’s side. Rules of behavior: Don’t be too loud, too strong, too lustful, too ambitious. Rules of how they are to dress and look, especially as they age. ❧ Old messages about what it means to be a woman of a certain age, and the myth that women became invisible once they hit the big 5-O. ❧ I found it inspiring to find so many women breaking barriers and resisting old stereotypes in my research of style influencers on Instagram and actresses on television. After looking at hundreds of photos on Instagram of female fashion influencers between 40-80, my perception of there being a “right or wrong way” to dress changed. I have learned that clothes are more than just utilitarian
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Asset Metadata
Creator
Wolff, Linda
(author)
Core Title
Fabulous, fierce and over 40: women breaking barriers on social media and television
School
Annenberg School for Communication
Degree
Master of Arts
Degree Program
Specialized Journalism
Publication Date
09/26/2017
Defense Date
09/26/2017
Publisher
University of Southern California
(original),
University of Southern California. Libraries
(digital)
Tag
Actors,aging,agism,facebook,Hollywood,Instagram,midlife, over fifty, midlife reinvention,Models,movies,OAI-PMH Harvest,Retirement,social media,television,Women,women in midlife,women in movies,women in social media,women in television
Language
English
Contributor
Electronically uploaded by the author
(provenance)
Advisor
Reeves, Richard (
committee chair
), Cicero, Caroline (
committee member
), Parks, Michael (
committee member
)
Creator Email
lwolff@usc.edu,writinglinda@gmail.com
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Tags
agism
facebook
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social media
television
women in midlife
women in movies
women in social media
women in television