There are older men in everything. Men don’t grow up with the idea that they’re somehow obsolete with age. Old men are brilliant, charismatic, fun, flirty mentors in everything the media puts out. They’re prestigious and powerful. Even if they’re abusers, they’re just misunderstood and broken hearted and it’s all very poetic.
Women are told that they peak at 18 and any nubile looks they maintain are a saving grace. Women are told that their worth precisely how much they can ensnare or seduce or benefit a man. Women’s lives, according to our society, begin at 18 and end at 29. If we manage to maintain the whole “young & fun” air we can get away with maybe a couple more years of being considered of worth.
Women don’t lose their vitality according to societally defined ideas about our age. Men aren’t the only ones who stay vital and passionate into their senior years. Young girls growing up have tragically few role models to look up to. They’re told there is nothing for them beyond being hot shit in their twenties.
