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Why Does Hollywood Care So Much About Age?
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To say 2020 has been a long year is an understatement.
But for Alexa Demie, it’s just another year. She’s lived 1,000 lives, of course.
No, we’re not talking about the Euphoria star’s high after her big break last summer, or her MAC Cosmetics collaboration, or her breakout film role in A24’s praised film, Waves.
In September, Demie’s age, previously reported to be 24, was called into question as Twitter uncovered images from her high school yearbook. The star was listed as a 2008 graduate, and if you’re doing the math, that should actually place her as being 29 or 30 years old.
In typical fashion, Twitter had a field day with the news. The reported age gap caused quite a stir, with fans exploding in a frenzy that both defended and made light of the star.
Is she immortal like the Twilight vampires? Is she a time traveler coming to wreak havoc and disrupt our dimension? Is she a secret witch? We don’t know, but either way, the meme possibilities were too good to pass up.
Since the internet exploded, Demie has remained relatively quiet about the controversy. In our moments of meme fantasy, we had to stop and consider: Does it even matter? 24 or 30, the star is still the blueprint when it comes to being that girl. What does a slight discrepancy make?
When does our well-intentioned curiosity double down to become entitlement?
For years, Hollywood and the media at large have perpetrated a standard of beauty that revolves around agelessness. To be desirable you must be young, sexy, and not a day over the age of thirty. Leonardo DiCaprio and his revolving door of questionably-younger girlfriends know it well.
Year after year, we consume countless dollars in the anti-aging industry. Expensive facial creams, invasive treatments and rigorous fitness plans all promise nothing but stellar results. The commodification of youth is set to soar in the next seven years, estimated at nearly .2 billion.
Our obsession with being young isn’t new. Since the beginning of documented history, women have gone to great lengths to preserve their beauty, frozen by time.
Ancient Greek and Egyptian beauty gurus were known for seeping in giant baths of crocodile dung to retain their flawless complexion and wrinkle-free skin. The paste was lathered across royal hands and bodies– the decedent smell was just an upside.
Fast forward a few thousand years and rituals involving virgin blood were all the rage. Just ask Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed of the Kingdom of Hungary, the world’s first-documented female serial killer. The countess is said to send her servants to kill and mutilate village peasants to bathe in their blood, a crucial step in her beauty regimine.
Vampire facials have since come a long way.
Today, our quest for beauty, and ultimately youthfulness, can be found among the isles of drugstore shelves and celebrity-endorsed leech treatments. Is a 10-step Korean skincare regime not enough?
Here at CR, we’ve documented the anti-aging industry well. We, along with the rest of society, are stuck on young. But why? Do we go to great lengths to preserve our beauty for ourselves, or for the attention of men?
We may not know Alexa Demie’s secret sauce is, but the controversy surrounding her timeless appearance raised several points on the argument of ageism in the media.
The question of whether Hollywood promotes a young, traditionally beautiful starlet over an older, experienced actress isn’t one to be debated. It’s common knowledge. Actors unions have constantly cited that there are far less job opportunities for actors in the 60-to-80 age group than their members ranging from 18 to 25.
It’s interesting to note that these conversations around age for men don’t exist. Silver fox hunks are celebrated while women have to duck behind rows of hair dye so their dated roots aren’t the subject of scrutiny.
While there are quite a few women like Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda who have opted to age gracefully and remain in the spotlight, they’re the exception, not the norm.
Actress Helen Mirren called out the double standard after hearing reports that 30-year-old women were “too old,” to play love interests in blockbuster films.
“It’s ridiculous. . . we all watched James Bond as he got more and more geriatric, and his girlfriends got younger and younger,” she said. “It’s so annoying,”
When speaking on her mother and grandmother’s legacies, 50 Shades Of Grey star Dakota Johnson called Hollywood cutthroat, elevating the conversation even further.
“Why isn’t my mother in movies? She’s an extraordinary actress! Why isn’t my grandmother in movies?” Johnson stated. “No matter how tough you are, sometimes there’s the feeling of not being wanted.”
When the industry’s curtain is peeled back, Demie’s age slip up feels more and more understandable. Not to mention Demie is a Latina woman in a predominantly White industry, providing an even harder barrier to secure roles. When a smile-line turns into a something to be fixed rather than a visible mark of joy, there’s a problem.
In a misogynistic industry, the ticking time bomb of hitting 40, 50, 60 provides nothing but an end to a career. There’s still an immense pressure to appear young and beautiful.
Lana Del Rey was right.
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createdAt:Tue, 01 Dec 2020 22:35:39 +0000
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section:Beauty