TOD: Follow-up on Madonna With Twitter Conversation About Media & Women’s Age

The other day I wrote a piece on Madonna and her new beau, Jonas Kaufmann, that was in response to another site’s drivel about the relationship in which the writer specifically mocked Madonna’s age and dating habits.

Apparently, I was not the only annoyed with how the media treats women, as this twitter convo from yesterday that I stumpled up on clearly illustrates. Notice the very specific points these three erudite men bring up:

“Every” news piece about female artists mention their age — because women are judged on our looks, our bodies, and what we should be doing with our lives. How we should behave is centered around a number.
Women over 35 are judged if we don’t act … all proper-like and momsy.

Women are judged if haven’t given up everything that matters to us because we’ve had kids or settled down. Heaven forbid a woman maintain her own dreams and her own identity rather than sacrificing her soul and her persona for someone else (i.e., husband, kids, menial job).

And sex?! Grab the fainting couch if you’re not ready to deal with the fact that women over the age of 35 have as much right to a fulfilling, raucous sex life as the 20-somethings. In fact, Mother Nature blesses middle-aged women with a libidinous power surge right around the age of 35 that can be maintained for decades if the woman stays healthy. In one of my past AskTrish posts, a man had asked if menopause is a time when women’s sex drive automatically winds down. NO!

I have experienced this age discrimination and society’s-expectations-criticism too many times to enumerate. Once a woman hits a certain age (or a certain dress size), she is supposed to act a certain way. Give her whole life over to being the caregiver for other people’s needs and whims. Her own wants and needs be damned.

Not if I have anything to say about it!

We have tripled our life expectancy — women outlive men anyway. Why should we do what is expected of us by a patriarchal society that constantly belittles us, mocks our individual journeys that stray from the path followed by the sheeple, and continues to retrofit ancient, suffocating patriarchal religious mores onto 21st century liberated, independent, rebellious women?

I’m 42, and I personally plan on doing my thing until I’m at least 95. I have 40+ years to keep speaking out for women and our issues, and I’ll be as fabulous then as I am now.

Age? Fuck it.

trish

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