The Core: Do you know this woman?

She suffers from oozing denture paste, an overactive bladder, embarrassing incontinence, acid reflux, depression, arthritis, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, osteoporosis, hot flashes and insomnia. If that weren’t bad enough, she’s overweight, has sagging boobs and jowls, wrinkly skin, dark circles under her eyes, varicose veins and age spots.

She worries endless and obsessively about life insurance, slipping in the bathtub, pre-planning her funeral, Medicare benefits and which retirement community to move to. Her disposable income is spent on “age defying” skincare products, medically unnecessary cosmetic procedures, and a frightening assortment of sometimes beneficial and often questionable prescription drugs.

Who is this woman? She is the composite conglomeration of maladies that marketing mavens have created, a generalized and insulting representation of what an older woman is in the minds of advertisers. Luckily, this chick does not exist in real life. Do you think advertisers will ever figure that out?

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The “ripe” women I know are a pretty healthy bunch and even when they’re not, they deal with their health issues like they do with all sort of other challenges, by doing what they have to do and moving on with their lives. They understand that defying their age is a silly waste of time and energy, and choose instead to embrace where they are in their lives. They don’t spend every waking minute planning for doom and death because they’re too busy LIVING their lives. They’re creative, intelligent, accomplished, compassionate and hysterically funny. Why aren’t they splashed across commercials and advertisements?

If, like me, you get a little pissed off about the widespread representation of older women as infirm, pathetic, superficial has-beens, then you’ve come to the right place!

As Paulette and I were preparing to launch The Ripe Report, I wrote a few posts on my blog to get warmed up for the challenge. This one explains why I felt so strongly about offering another view of women. 

 

Originally posted on The Ripe Report.

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The Core: Do you know this woman?
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