Ageing, Popular Culture and Contemporary Feminism : Harleys and Hormones

and the co-ordinator of the Curtin Writing Network. She is the author of a dozen nonfiction books and eight novels. She is a former print and radio journalist and columnist with more than 30 years' experience in the British and Australian media. She was a broadcaster and executive producer with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in Perth and has worked as an advisor to a minister in the WA Government. Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction: Popular Culture’s ‘Silver Tsunami’....Pages 1-13 Conscientious Objections: Feminism, Fiction and the Phoney War on Ageing....Pages 14-28 Fiction or Polemic? Transcending the Ageing Body in Popular Women’s Fiction....Pages 29-46 ‘Mrs Robinson Seeks Benjamin’: Cougars, Popular Memoirs and the Quest for Fulfilment in Midlife and Beyond....Pages 47-62 Sexing Up the Midlife Woman: Cultural Representations of Ageing, Femininity and the Sexy Body....Pages 63-77 Paternalising the Rejuvenation of Later Life Masculinity in Twenty- First Century Film....Pages 78-92 Too Old for This Shit?: On Ageing Tough Guys....Pages 93-107 ‘The (un-Botoxed) Face of a Hollywood Revolution’: Meryl Streep and the ‘Greying’ of Mainstream Cinema....Pages 108-123 Grown Up Girls: Newspaper Reviews of Ageing Women in Pop....Pages 124-139 Mature Meryl and Hot Helen: Hollywood, Gossip and the ‘Appropriately’ Ageing Actress....Pages 140-155 Funny Old Girls: Representing Older Women in British Television Comedy....Pages 155-171 Silence Isn’t Golden, Girls: The Cross-Generational Comedy of ‘America’s Grandma’, Betty White....Pages 172-186 The Older Mother in One Born Every Minute....Pages 187-202 Women, Travelling and Later Life....Pages 203-218 Kane and Edgar: Playing with Age in Film....Pages 219-232 Beyond Wicked Witches and Fairy Godparents: Ageing and Gender in Children’s Fantasy on Screen....Pages 233-247 Back Matter....Pages 249-254 "The past decade has seen an increase in popular cultural representations of ageing, in response to the realities of an ageing Western population and an acknowledgement of the economic significance of consumption by seniors. Yet, while contemporary film often depicts late middle to old age as a time of renewal and acceptance, most popular depictions of ageing focus on images of loss, decline, and the fear of physically ageing 'naturally'. Ageing in popular culture is a battlefield, with an increasing range of euphemisms used to disguise the fact of age. Feminist discourse has kept forever young, even though some of its most eminent proponents are ageing and dying. In the field of popular cultural studies the emphasis on the discourse of postfeminism and the 'girling' of culture has foregrounded the concerns of young women at the expense of a focus on older women, or what 'gender' means for middle-aged to older people generally. This collection demonstrates how popular culture constructs ageing as a perilous experience for not only women but also for men, while also underscoring the possibilities (and problems) of positive representations of ageing in the wider culture and in feminist criticism."-- Provided by publisher "Cover "--"Half-Title " -- "Title " -- "Copyright " -- "Contents " -- "Notes on Contributors " -- "Introduction: Popular Cultureâ#x80;#x99;s â#x80;Silver Tsunamiâ#x80;#x99; " -- "1 Conscientious Objections: Feminism, Fiction and the Phoney War on Ageing " -- "2 Fiction or Polemic? Transcending the Ageing Body in Popular Womenâ#x80;#x99;s Fiction " -- "3 â#x80;#x98;Mrs Robinson Seeks Benjaminâ#x80;#x99;: Cougars, Popular Memoirs and the Quest for Fulfilment in Midlife and Beyond " -- "4 Sexing Up the Midlife Woman: Cultural Representations of Ageing, Femininity and the Sexy Body " -- "5 Paternalising the Rejuvenation of Later Life Masculinity in Twenty-First Century Film " -- "6 Too Old for This Shit?: On Ageing Tough Guys " -- "7 â#x80;#x98;The (un-Botoxed) Face of a Hollywood Revolutionâ#x80;#x99;: Meryl Streep and the â#x80;#x98;Greyingâ#x80;#x99; of Mainstream Cinema " -- "8 Grown Up Girls: Newspaper Reviews of Ageing Women in Pop " -- "9 Mature Meryl and Hot Helen: Hollywood, Gossip and the â#x80;#x98;Appropriatelyâ#x80;#x99; Ageing Actress " How has popular film, television and fiction responded to the realities of an ageing Western population? This volume analyses this field of representation to argue that, while celebrations of ageing as an inspirational journey are increasing, most depictions still focus on decline and deterioration.