Why does Hollywood fear older women?
The Substance (2024)
The relationship between women and their age has always been complicated.
Whenever women turn thirty, they immediately start worrying about what’s to come, as if they are no longer gifted with youth. We are taught from a very early age to take care of ourselves so that our future won’t become a so-called disaster.
Wrinkles, white hair, stretch marks, and even cellulite are things we are taught to accept, but at the same time, we’re expected to get rid of them and follow an unrealistic beauty standard: one without any marks, just a perfectly smooth body.
I remember when I was younger and used to be disgusted by my cellulite. I would ask people how to get rid of it. I thought not everyone had it; in my mind, it was unnatural.
What is truly unnatural is the fact that Hollywood and most public figures promote beauty standards that are unrealistic and unachievable. Have you ever noticed how women in Hollywood are always trying to look younger? How it seems as though they refuse to accept the natural course of life?
Substance (2024)
These beauty standards are harmful to the relationship young girls have with their bodies and with their expectations for the future.
On the other hand, men do not suffer the same pressure. They are rarely as worried about their appearance or age as women are because they know it does not affect them in the same way. They can still be successful regardless of how they look.
For women, it all matters.
I remember Meryl Streep talking about how, as she got older, most of the roles she was offered were witches and evil women. But why? Why do we seem to perceive older women as evil?
Have you noticed how the villains in fairy tales are almost always older women?
Getting older is often portrayed as something disgusting and unwelcoming for women all over the world.
The Substance (2024)
Not being in control of the changes our bodies go through as we age is something many of us struggle with. We constantly look for ways to regain that control.
The desire to change the way we look, to undergo plastic surgery in hopes of recovering a version of ourselves from years ago, is the kind of satisfaction many people seek.
That desperate need to feel young again is harming humanity. It is distorting our perception of what it means to live a normal life and normalising behaviours that can be damaging to our mental health.
We must address this issue by embracing our imperfections with grace and wearing them proudly every day.
What does it matter if we are no longer a certain age?
What truly matters is being healthy and surrounded by the people we love.
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