Against Ageism in Fiction
I have a confession. I usually hate older female characters in novels, and I am an older female!
Older women in literature are too predictable.
If women characters are in their fifties, they are frequently the victim of an evil ex-husband. When they find a new love, that’s their big accomplishment, end of story. If they are a minor character, they are barely sketched out as gossipy social climbers or malicious mothers-in-law. Yawn.
Women over sixty are not the main character as often as they should be. Full stop. Instead, they are usually grandmothers or babysitters for the main character. They bake cookies and make soup or are two-dimensional caregivers – all kindness and sacrifice. Even worse, women over sixty are portrayed as frail, forgetful and fearful: what I call the three “F’s.” I know some women age faster than others but not every one! Grandmothers, caregivers and cookie bakers are wonderful, but let’s have some diversity!
Why does it matter?
Literature has always reflected society’s norms and expectations. Too many books showed people of color as household help. That made it harder for people of color to dream of something different.
Similarly, society underestimates older women and those expectations are reflected in the books that get published. And those unimaginative books make it harder for us to dream of anything else for ourselves. I’m not sure I could have written a debut novel in my sixties if I didn’t know someone else who had done it. We need help picturing ourselves taking different paths and literature can do that.
Why is change important?
Statistically, an American woman on her fiftieth birthday can expect to live another thirty to thirty-three years. Many will not have grandchildren and will outlive their spouses. That reality should be reflected in literature. Women my age need stories that showcase strength, agency, and adventure, proof that our next act can be our most powerful yet.
What can we do?
If you’re a writer, start writing about older women in all their diversity.
Use that excellent imagination of yours to write older women characters that look different and have non-traditional jobs. Make them snarky or weird. Make even minor characters deviate from the obvious.
If you’re a reader, check out the growing trends with older women characters: Silver sleuths, Silver romance. Watch Knives Out and The Thursday Murder Club. Post reviews!
Be more curious. When you see your silver-haired neighbor, aunt or mother, don’t assume you know what their life is like. It’s shocking how rarely anyone asks me what I’m doing. Ask them and really listen! You won’t regret it!