Smoothing the wrinkles: Hollywood, “successful aging” and the new visibility of older female stars

Dolan, Josie

Abstract

Following Simone de Beauvoir (1972) and Germaine Greer who similarly lamented the cultural invisibility of older women, the current proliferation of Hollywood films with older women protagonists, and the increased visibility of older female stars might seem to be cause for feminist celebration. However, this visibility is highly conditional on women’s participation in, and subjection to the regulatory regime of ‘successful aging’ at an intersection with a ‘youthifying’ cosmeceutical industry that includes using body doubles and extends from editing techniques through make up procedures up to drastic surgical procedures. Furthermore, older women’s visibility in Hollywood is regulated by a pathologising gaze that renders abject the aging female body, or indeed any signs of aging that threaten to disrupt the wrinkle smoothing procedures that underwrite its version of ‘youthified’ old age femininity.

Citation

Dolan, J. (2013). Smoothing the wrinkles: Hollywood, “successful aging” and the new visibility of older female stars. In C. Carter, L. Steiner, & L. McClaughlin (Eds.), The Routledge Companion to Media and Gender (342-351). London & New York: Routledge

• Publication Date: Dec 4, 2013
• Deposit Date: Oct 30, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Mar 22, 2016
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 342-351
• Book Title: The Routledge Companion to Media and Gender
• ISBN: 9780415527699
• Keywords: Hollywood, stars, stardom, old age, aging, female, Mirren, Madonna, chronological decorum, youthification, successful aging
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/925101
• Publisher URL: http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415527699/