“Can't Have it All”: Representations of Older Women in Popular Culture

Abstract

Representations of older women in the media are defined by the double marginalization of age and gender. The analysis presented here illustrates four major stages in the development of such images: invisibility of older women, stereotypization, ghettoization, and integration. All of these forms continue to circulate simultaneously in popular media at the current time. The feminist critique of these representations suggests that they might be playing a significant role in how women interpret and experience aging. Thus, the authors argue that the complex dialogue between media representations of older women and the lived realities of these women may have meaningful implications for feminist therapy.

KEYWORDS:

• feminist therapy
• gender
• media representations
• older women

Notes

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the symposium on Women, Power, & Aging, at Pace University in New York City, September 2010.