Last weekend the beautiful 56 years young Halle Berry posted a picture on her Instagram that caused quite a stir. It was a picture of her drinking a glass of wine on a balcony in the nude on what looked like a gorgeous sunny day. The picture was tastefully done, it hid all the “naughty bits”, and quite frankly looked like a piece of art you would see hanging in a portrait gallery.
As you would expect, the trolls came and needed help picking up their feelings a` la Jazmine Sullivan. I’m clear that when we post anything on Angela Bassett’s internet, we open ourselves up to full-on criticism as well as outright praise. However, one response was particularly striking:
Imagine being in your 50s, still posting nudes for attention in menopause when you should be chilling with the grandkids. Aging with dignity is no longer a thing.
Imagine policing a woman’s body that you’ll never have proximity to. It bears saying that a man said this. Imagine THAT. And I find it interesting that he said Halle was posting nudes for attention but probably doesn’t have a problem with a certain “celebrity” whose name starts with a ‘k’ who built an entire brand by posting her ass and areola every chance she got. But I digress.
So here we go yet again with the ageism bullshit. This person made sure that Halle’s age was front and center in his response and apparently a bone of contention, because HOW DARE a woman in her 50s resemble anything beautiful and worthy of adoration.
He also mentioned menopause and grandkids in another weak mean girl jab at Halle’s age, as if menopause and grandkids stop a woman’s show. If Halle WERE a grandmother this picture would hit even harder. There isn’t some midlife jump-out squad riding around snatching sexiness and humanity from women over the age of 35.
Misogynistic, toxic, and unsolicited comments like these must be challenged at every turn. Women of a certain age should be able to celebrate themselves without being mocked just because they’re no longer being carded.
Instead of lambasting Halle’s picture, question why:
20 somethings are getting plastic surgery at an alarming rate to live up to harmful and unrealistic social media standards.
books are being banned instead of assault rifles.
police brutality is allowed to run rampant disproportionately in the Black community without consequence.
the Supreme Court rolled the clock back 50 years for women and stripped us of our right to autonomy over our own bodies.
But yes, concern yourself unnecessarily with a woman in her 50s comfortably basking in her own glow who didn’t ask you to contribute a dime to said glow.
Aging with dignity doesn’t mean women over 40 should cloak themselves in burlap, mask their faces, mute their voices, and be relegated to the cellars of society after their youthfulness and perceived usefulness have been siphoned dry and they become commodities the world no longer wants to consume.
Aging with dignity doesn’t mean women of a certain age should quietly and politely fade into the shadows like vampiric beings at the rising of the sun.
I applaud Halle for tastefully bearing her body in the sun and I sincerely hope more seasoned sirens follow suit. (consider this a call to action).
Ageism isn’t just disturbing, it’s also archaic and abusive. Women should be able to age unencumbered by the world’s constant judgment and pointed insults.
To age is a blessing. To age gracefully is a process. If a woman of a certain age chooses to sip wine on her balcony while the sun kisses her naked body as part of that process, mind your fucking business…she’s grown and has earned that right.
EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. OF. THIS!!!!
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼Say this VERY LOUDLY FOR THE IGNORANT ONES IN THE BACK...