Several years ago – when it made sense to subscribe to the
TV Guide – I read two articles in the same magazine about two celebrities. One was
described as a fresh and contemporary young man. The other was an august and
venerable woman; a grand dame. The thing that makes this stand out in my memory
is that the two stars were practically the same age. They were judged differently
because of their genders. Think of famous actors in their fifties: George
Clooney, Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Jim
Carey, Hugh Grant, Kevin Bacon, Bruce Willis, Woody Harrelson, Colin Firth, or Hugh
Jackman. Most of us see them as vibrant; at the height of their careers. It
doesn’t bother us to see them cast in movies alongside starlets young enough to be their daughters. Would we feel differently if their love interests were played by
Shirley MacLaine or Maggie Smith? Why?
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