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Feminist women bequeath to us a powerful critique of our society's obsession with beauty and impossible body ideals. Having refused makeup, high heels, and short skirts in their youth, these women are now entering the most stigmatized stage in a woman's life?old age. As she becomes the ?older woman,? the feminist's rejection of beauty standards and her ability to locate self-worth is being challenged.How will feminists respond to the issues raised in this phase of their lives? By confronting the issues unique to older women in our culture and society, these authors redress the neglect and isolation experienced within contemporary feminism and gerontology.Ultimately, the goal of the book is to inspire the aging woman to more easily embrace the ?older other? within her.
List of contents
Introduction -- Situating -- The Double Standard of Aging -- Portnoy’s Mother’s Complaints -- The Plight of Older Black Women -- The Feminization of Poverty Among the Elderly -- Older Women in the City -- Problematizing -- Friends or Foes -- Heresy in the Female Body -- Gender, Race, and Class -- The View from Over the Hill -- Adult Daughters and Care for the Elderly -- What Setting Limits May Mean -- Representing -- Sunset Boulevard -- Remembering Our Foremothers -- Visible Difference -- Time Will Tell -- Privileging -- Toward Another Dimension … -- Indian Summer -- In the Heat of Shadow -- Mirror of Strength -- The Space Crone -- Serenity and Power
About the author
Marilyn Pearsall teaches philosophy and women's studies at the University of Puget Sound and is a research associate at the Five College Women's Studies Research centre.
Summary
This book addresses the neglect and isolation, the older women have experienced within contemporary feminism and gerontology. It presents the varied responses of women to the stereotypes and societal invalidation that they must grapple with throughout the aging process.
