Yesterday I wrote about a "crime" that made me crabby -- a woman took a rock from a Yoko Ono exhibit that consisted of many, many rocks on the floor. And another thing about it made me crabby.
Here's the perp, surveillance photo courtesy of the Toronto police:
She is described as 55 to 60 years old.
Does this look like a 55-year-old woman to you? Looks more like 75 to me, or maybe 80 or 85.
Here's what some women 55 to 60 look like:
Because I am a late-middle-aged woman myself, I am particularly alert to what I see as the way society dismisses and devalues older women. Apparently in the eyes of the Toronto police, if you look old and doddery you must be (horrors) in your late 50s! I realize that if I were to be creamed by a runaway bus I would be described in the news report as "elderly," even though I think of myself as anything but.
What's up with this stereotyping? Don't any of the cops who put together this APB know a real 55- to 60-year-old woman? Or a real 80-year-old woman? Or don't they even look at women past a certain age, even if it's their own wife or mom?
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This post has been updated to remove photos of movie stars and celebrities and substitute photos of U.S. Senators and state governors.
I couldn't agree with you more !
ReplyDeleteAt 74 I don't think of myself being old at all!
Sorry, I didn't skip a beat. The woman in the photo from that angle looks like she could fall in the 55 to 60 age range. I'm in the next group up. I know a lot of 60 year olds that look like this woman. I honestly don't see why you think she looks so much older than that. 75 or older? I don't see it. I was not in the least offended by her being categorized as 55 to 60. I WAS rather offended at you trotting out photos of 55-60 year old movie stars and celebrities as the benchmark for what that age range looks like. Not my reality. Maybe you were swayed by her dowdy clothing and think only 75 year olds would dress like that. Again, not my reality.
ReplyDeletewhat is wrong with looking 75? I'm 75 and look pretty darn good for that age...lol
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/susaw
I liked the version with the movie stars! It reminded me that the only difference between them and me is wardrobe! Ha! (if only . . )
ReplyDeleteUm, and a good stylist, makeup artist, maybe a little plastic surgery and a personal trainer . . . ;-)
DeleteMany years ago, a friend of mine was in a serious car wreck. She said the thing that hurt most was being described in the police report as "A middle-aged female". She was 32 at the time! Police men aren't good at judging a woman's age?
ReplyDelete