Demi, Pamela, Kris: Is this new renaissance of 45+ women only for the rich?

Demi Moore wins her first Golden Globe at 62 for The Substance. Pamela Anderson makes waves with her makeup-free red-carpet look in her late fifties. And L’Oréal’s Paris runway features Helen Mirren, Andie MacDowell and Jane Fonda – proof, we’re told, that fashion has finally embraced older women.

But is this really a renaissance for women over 45? Or only for those who can afford to keep the years at bay, with wealth, access, or a skilled surgeon, like Kris Jenner?

Because the “forever-young” face has become a status symbol. Agelessness now signals privilege, and when it goes wrong, the comments turn cruel.

We look beneath the celebration to the billion-dollar anti-ageing and longevity industries and ask whether this new visibility for older women is empowerment, or simply the latest luxury good.

And could we even face a future where ageing only happens to the poor?

 

Clips used in this episode:

Straight to the Comments Episode - “I’m not sorry: The case of Madonna and Women Ageing”

Nikki Glaser hosting the 82nd Annual Golden Globes

Demi Moore’s acceptance speech at the 82nd Annual Golden Globes

Pamela Anderson on The Drew Barrymore Show: Season 3, Episode 193

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