On my way to the beach last week, I stopped in a wine shop somewhere along the Jersey shore to pick up a bottle of red. I was eagerly anticipating evenings spent languishing on a deck with Eat, Pray, Love (my favorite book) in one hand and a spicy glass of Syrah in the other. Waves crashing in the background.
Three jovial, big bellied guys in their gray shirts boasting their fave sports teams argued over some upcoming game of which I knew nothing. And cared even less. I browsed the wine racks as the friendly debate grew louder in the background.
"You're crazy! He couldn't bring them to a win if you shot all the players on the other team and handed him the ball!"
"Well, they pay him a trillion dollars a year - that says he's a valuable player."
"No it doesn't. It just means they've got too much money on their hands!"
This went back and forth for several minutes until the conversation abruptly (and unexpectedly) turned to movies. Rather high brow movies for this particular crowd. Exposing all of my stereotypes here, I'm going to say I was shocked when they started bantering around award winners and much talked about international films. Stuff that swept through Cannes.
This was a conversation I could engage in, so never one to be shy, I jumped right in. The conversation took all sorts of strange twists and turns, finally landing us on Holocaust films for some reason.
And then someone mentioned "The Reader" (which I'm ashamed to admit I've yet to see). The three guys who would have looked far more at home in a beer store than a wine store, expounded on the intricate film making details the director brought to the project. They discussed the sensitive subject matter and Kate 's "amazing performance."
And then, out of nowhere, one of the men said, "She did a nude scene in that film, you know." There was an air of disbelief in his voice. Another man chimed in. "I know! That surprised me."
At this point I was confused. Film stars often strip down for roles, even if it doesn't make much sense. Gratuitous nudity in Hollywood annoys me at times.
Then the third man, the most rotund of the group made it very clear what all the disbelief was about: "This is probably her last nude scene. She's too old for that stuff now."
My mouth fell open. I could not believe what I was hearing. Was this fat, nasty man (sorry, I'm pissed now) saying women over a certain age should never be caught naked? May I point out that he was middle aged and as I previously mentioned, lacked any form of sex appeal. His chances of seeing ANYONE naked seemed slim in my opinion.
The nerve!
The lovely Ms. Winslet is 34. I repeat, THIRTY-FOUR. I've got her by several years and just for the record, I look HOT naked. Yeah, I said it. Everything is exactly where it should be and standing at attention. On a size 6 frame. Hotness is not an age. Or a size, for that matter.
But for a moment, let's forgot how hot I am. And you are. Let's just look at the idea that men STILL, to this very day, judge us like apples in the market. Our value intrinsically tied to how "fresh" we are. Just picked is best. Anything past early puberty should retire to a field and die.
Is that why Hollywood usually pairs 50-year-old male actors with 23 year-old female actors? Please tell me you ladies are as appalled by the wine store conversation as I was...
8 comments:
what sucks is that the norm is not aging anymore... aging isnt pretty anymore because now plastic surgery has older woman looking younger... thus changing how our society views women.... i enjoyed your post.
Happy saturday sharefest!
It’s sad to hear that there are men that still have these antiquated notions that age and beauty belong in the same formula as in: the younger the woman, the more beautiful she is. I though Ashton Kutcher changed all that when he married Demi.
There are loads of woman out there that are showing the world there is life after the 20’s. Kate Winslet, who is still a spring chicken at 34, is such a great example for women. She has curves and a natural beauty that she maintains sensibly. She dresses for her shape, looks comfortable, healthy and happy in her skin. She does not look as though she has ever gone under the knife and she is open about the fact that extreme Hollywood dieting is a thing of the past. Horary for real women in the unreal world of Hollywood!
Great post!
This is interesting. Hollywood does this simply because most 23 year olds can attract more bums on seats than 50 year olds - business is business.
I do treat men like this with the insignificance that they deserve. From my own personal experience, I have found many men are more vocal about what they like but when push comes to shove, most of them will go gaga for a confident woman no matter what she looks like.
Ladies, Thanks for giving your voice to this post. I should say here that I know not all men act like the jerk in the wine store, but I taken aback when I hear someone actually say something so dumb. Kate Winslet is beautiful and yes, she does provide a healthy body image in Hollywood.
Ha! This is a GOOD one. I think that women nowadays are showing that women can be fabulous at ANY age. Heck women in their 50's are show-stoppers!
With skin care and bodily care awareness, women can keep up without even having to succumb to surgeries. There are a lot of non-surgical procedures. This is a different world, these are different times. Women are careerists, business owners, we become moms at later ages when WE feel it's right, and we are fabulous! Shame on those guys!
As for the nude comment, I second that girlfriend!! :-D
Totally appalled, what losers! I always make a point to focus my gaze on their beer guts and love handles.
Totally appalled! It's always those kinds of men saying stuff like that too. lol I say their opinions are stupid. Hahaha.
Well, ladies we should start making more movies with younger men/intelligent men and more mature females.
Of course, the men will flip their leds. This is not right...blah, blah.
I have only seen maybe 3 or 4 movies that has the mature female in the led role and a younger man in the male led.
ann
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