An AARP Urp
Hi ho, MMMLogerinos!
When I celebrated a certain number, I succumbed to a particular national organization which offers discounts on everything to hotel rooms and auto insurance. Boy, have I saved bunches on insurance alone, making my subscription pretty worthwhile. The Magazine gives the appearance of becoming more oriented toward us Boomers, too. And so comes my gripe.
The March/April 2006 edition featured Goldie Hawn on the cover with the bold tagline: Goldie--Sexy, Sixty, and Speaking Out. The photo was so heavily airbrushed that one could easily assume that Goldie is still playing that undead character in Death Becomes Her. She had a five page feather-weight piece, mostly fantasy retrospective photos, about how she wants to "make movies for grownups."
Featured in a small sidebar on the same cover was: How to Be Happy--The Dalai Lama's Big Idea. Inside, the photo of the Dalai Lama was real and unedited (I like to believe.) He also sagely advised, "Trying to look or act younger than you are is silly, very silly."
The May/June 2006 issue just arrived with Paul McCartney on the cover looking every bit his 64 years, complete with deep lines, grey at the temples and a receding hairline. He gets the same massaged spread about his career and marriages.
And what's my problem with this? In order for a sixty year old celebrity woman to appear on the cover of a magazine devoted to retired people, she must not appear to age past 30. One cannot help but get the overt and subliminal messages here--to be cover (or attention) worthy, women absolutely must not look like the female demographic the organization serves, while celebrity men are allowed, for the most part, to look real.
As the man said, silly, very silly.
Ciao, ciao, MMMMMMMMMMMmelinda
When I celebrated a certain number, I succumbed to a particular national organization which offers discounts on everything to hotel rooms and auto insurance. Boy, have I saved bunches on insurance alone, making my subscription pretty worthwhile. The Magazine gives the appearance of becoming more oriented toward us Boomers, too. And so comes my gripe.
The March/April 2006 edition featured Goldie Hawn on the cover with the bold tagline: Goldie--Sexy, Sixty, and Speaking Out. The photo was so heavily airbrushed that one could easily assume that Goldie is still playing that undead character in Death Becomes Her. She had a five page feather-weight piece, mostly fantasy retrospective photos, about how she wants to "make movies for grownups."
Featured in a small sidebar on the same cover was: How to Be Happy--The Dalai Lama's Big Idea. Inside, the photo of the Dalai Lama was real and unedited (I like to believe.) He also sagely advised, "Trying to look or act younger than you are is silly, very silly."
The May/June 2006 issue just arrived with Paul McCartney on the cover looking every bit his 64 years, complete with deep lines, grey at the temples and a receding hairline. He gets the same massaged spread about his career and marriages.
And what's my problem with this? In order for a sixty year old celebrity woman to appear on the cover of a magazine devoted to retired people, she must not appear to age past 30. One cannot help but get the overt and subliminal messages here--to be cover (or attention) worthy, women absolutely must not look like the female demographic the organization serves, while celebrity men are allowed, for the most part, to look real.
As the man said, silly, very silly.
Ciao, ciao, MMMMMMMMMMMmelinda
posted by MMMelinda at 8:07 AM
