Entertainment | 08/19/2008 10:30 am

Scarlett Johansson to Hollywood: Let Older Female Actresses Play Sex Symbols!

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Scarlett Johansson has criticized Hollywood’s treatment of older actresses — insisting many women see their careers "wilt" once they get past a certain age.

The "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" actress, who stars alongside Penélope Cruz in Woody Allen’s new film, told the Boston Globe that succeeding in the movie industry for the long term is more difficult for women than for men.

"Acting is definitely harder for women," said the 23-year-old star to the Globe. "Women kind of wilt as men sort of achieve as they get older, like wine or whatever. It’s like, ‘Oh, she’s past her prime and she can’t play a sex symbol.’ It’s just a preconceived notion about women in general and particularly in this industry. It’s a very vain, vain industry."

The emerging term used to describe the "vain" movie industry is called "Hollywood ageism." The new term refers to the maltreatment of older actresses and the fact that, as they wrinkle, their careers deteriorate along with them.

Ouch.

The term doesn’t really apply to Hollywood men as much, believes Johansson. The mainstream media harps on the male actors who’ve aged so gracefully. George Clooney, Richard Gere and Pierce Brosnan are still considered eye candy — even with fine lines and gray hair. wOw argues otherwise though. Madonna just turned 50 and she’s as vivacious and popular as ever.

Cher, 62, is all over the media, and performining on tour in Las Vegas. Although these are singers, not actresses, Michelle Pfeiffer, Demi Moore and Sharon Stone are still stunning, and Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep look phenomenal for their age. In many eyes, the 40-, 50-, 60-something-year-old actresses are just as fabulous as Johansson, Blake Lively (of "Gossip Girl") and Lauren Conrad (of "The Hills").

12 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

it would be so nice if i could see a film about women my age, dealing with issues faced by 50-something human beings. oh, there have been a handful but, they’ve been few & far between. i know the studios cater to the teen crowd but, we’re out there too & it’s such a cliche about “the older woman” & how she’s really more interesting than a 20 yr old. it’s the only thing that has ever made me consider leaving the u.s. & moving to europe where i think women my age are valued & respected much more than they are in america!

By a. m. on 08/19/2008 10:18 am

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One must admit that in terms of physical capacity woman are more challenged than men, by sheer physiological aspects, however, simply putting women in the “playing the sex symbol category” is unfair to the movie industry moreso than to women alone. The industry is an archive of human social consciousness, and any limiting of that aspect in one direction or another takes away from the significance of what the complete raison-d-etre of the industry is. By no means does this mean that in order to play a role one cannot but be the “eye candy” because that only satisfies part of us, the other part always feels in need of that movie that reminds us why the industry is alive and well, beauty or no…

By Wafaa El Jusmani on 08/19/2008 11:39 am

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I hate it too - especially since most men over 50 cannot attract a 25 yo for real - when I was in college and thereafter, I thought it was gross when a much older guy hit on me - a point I make to all my 40 and 50 something guy friends when they swivel head to some young thing…

By Chips AHoey on 08/19/2008 12:55 pm

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Don’t forget Sally Field - another stunningly great actress!

By Christina on 08/19/2008 3:33 pm

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Helen Mirren is just as sensual as a young woman to my way of thinking. And, don’t forget the indomitable Sophia Loren. I recently saw a picture of her at her son’s wedding, and she was absolutely stunning…

By Diana T on 08/19/2008 8:57 pm

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I guess I have to be the wet blanket of reality here: American sex symbols are defined by the many (some would say most) men who crave the physical ideal of, well, need I describe her in youthful detail? We all know what I’m talking about. Instead, we should all try to appreciate and honor the men who love us, the ones who look past the c-section scars and droopy tummies and see a beautiful woman who, year after year, stokes their furnace. Why should a woman of a certain age want to be a sex symbol, anyway? Let the young women have their day. I can think of so many other things that are more important to most of us.

By Susan B on 08/19/2008 9:54 pm

At my age, Susan, how nice it would be to find someone interested in “stoking my furnace” instead of their trying to go after Physical Ideal. And, do they honestly think Physical Ideal will be interested in their paunchy tummies and sagging chins?

By Diana T on 08/20/2008 12:17 am

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As long as we continue to say things like “Jane Fonda and Meryl Streep look phenomenal for their age,” we’ll continue to suffer from youth obsession.

By K O on 08/20/2008 11:23 am

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I agree, Kitty. What is wrong with looking older? Nothing. Young girls today are under more pressure then ever before to look perfect. My 14-year-old told me that one of her friends said her boobs weren’t big enough! We talked alot and I hope I can help her to love herself and others for who they are. Today we are too worried about our hips, our thighs, our stomachs, and our boobs. I believe that concentrating on faith, health and self-esteem is more important then our weight or anything else. And remember, if you don’t build on those two aspects, no matter what your weight is, the rest of you will be a hollow shell. Kids pick up on who you really are.

By Gretchen Perkins on 08/20/2008 11:33 am

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Our Hollywood culture has given us an image that beauty for women is only in the young. So sad.

By Chris Broersma on 08/20/2008 11:28 pm

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Women age just as “gracefully” as men do. Our concept of beauty has always been shaped by our cultural assumptions which usually pander to class issues. But with the advent of mass media we have been brainwashed into blindly accepting one standard of beauty worldwide. It is very sad - especially when it effects the self-esteem of little girls who don’t happen to have the skin color, body shape or hair being sold to us as beautiful. The media tells us that wrinkles, hair loss and weight gain look sexy on men. The media tell us that even a little line on a woman’s face is taboo. We don’t have to accept this nonsense. We can assert that women are just as beautiful when they age as men are. When enough of us reject any “beauty standard” - it DOES change. It already has. For instance, when people of color started dominating the music video industry, the standards for female beauty changed. Instead of worshipping women with flat behinds and rail thin frames, our culture started to embrace bubble butts and muscles and a “little meat” on women. Instead of the former preference for white skin and blonde hair, we began to see the beauty in dark skin and “ethnic” facial features. Beauty standards shift with the almighty dollar. All we have to do is show Hollywood that their income is attached to images of older women, and they will tell us how sexy older women are.

By Veronica Monet on 09/07/2008 1:06 pm

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Nice that you mention the older women who look great, but easily, at least 2/3 of them have had plastic surgery to look that way. The mentioned men haven’t. There is STILL a double standard, ESPECIALLY in Hollywood, no matter which way you try to turn it.

By Barb Kohl on 11/16/2008 4:10 am