Where are the older women on television? Younger women fill television screens everywhere and are at the center of advertisements, but older women are vastly unrepresented in the media. When I was first asked to write a paper based on older women in them media, my first thought was “Where do I look?” One tv show came to mind, which shall be discussed later. Other than that, I was at a loss of what to include. Upon further research, I learned that not only do men outnumber women on television, but women over 65 only take up 3% of the screen (“An Analysis of Aging Women…”). In the media, older women are less likely to be seen working outside of the home also. Although the 3% was specifically related to on-air television time, it appears that …show more content…
This paper aims to explore three different types of media in regards to the aging population of women.
The show that I first thought about is called The Golden Girls, which stars the phenomenal Betty White. I believe the intended target audience of this show would be older women, although the younger generation has taken quite a liking to Betty White and to the show. There are four main characters: Rose, Sophia, Dorothy, and Blanche. Blanche is seen as a flirtatious woman, Dorothy is depicted as the voice of reason, Rose is shown as a ditzy and innocent, and Sophia is Dorothy's crazy old-world mother who adds a great deal of humor to the show. Dorothy seemingly has more education than the other women as she was a substitute teacher at one point, but all in all, it appears that the women grew up in a time where college was not a norm for everyone. The house in which the four women live is owned by Blanche, who has a taste for the finer things and life and always dresses nice. The other three women often budget their money and put their needs before their wants, which would suggest that the women are not very rich. For most of the series, none of the women have jobs, which is an aspect that seems to …show more content…
When I googled “Older woman greeting card”, funny greeting cards made up the large majority of the results. The card I am going to analyze is one that features an old lady with a grimacing face and wild bushy white hair (“Homemade Greeting Card…”). She has a spoon in her hand and is ready to eat a pie, and she also has a cup of coffee. The card reads: “Older people shouldn’t eat health foods. They need all the preservatives they can get. Happy Birthday!” As with the advertisement, this card plays off the idea that women do not approach age with grace but instead with disappointment and even humor. This is not an accurate portrayal of older women, but it is instead how society seems to see older women. The woman appears grumpy and does not seem to want to age. She is wearing a casual polka dotted tank top, which suggests a lack of care for the holiday that is her birthday. It can be inferred that the woman is probably middle class, but she could possibly be lower class. It does not appear that she is wealthy. The target audience is definitely older women, and I could see an older woman giving this card as a birthday gift to a friend. It is obvious that this card represents ageism. In order to make this card more age friendly, the creators do not have to throw out the humor aspect, but perhaps they could make the woman appear happier as it is her birthday. Without a doubt, the