A post highlighting how women over the age of 50 are portrayed on television has evolved since the 1980s has gone viral on Instagram.
The post was shared by Judy Lee Cole (@judyleecole), a 68-year-old whose Instagram feed features several videos titled “this is 68” that show her executing several challenging exercise moves, from hand stands to various yoga stretches and more.
The viral post, which has garnered more than 5.3 million views since it was shared on March 27, features a comparison shot of the main female cast members of two popular television series centered around women. One of them is The Golden Girls from the 1980s, and the other is And Just Like That, the sequel to the Sex and the City series, which premiered in 2021.
A caption shared with the post reads: “2 very different TV shows portraying women who are over 50 in 1985 vs 2021. No judgment on these ‘Golden Girls’ actresses; they were all very beautiful, talented and lived long productive lives.”
The featured image highlights the ages of the characters played in both series, who were said to be mostly in their 50s, apart from the Sophia Petrillo character from The Golden Girls, who was depicted to be 80 at the start of the show in 1985.
A study by The Geena Davis Institute, in partnership with Next50, examined how women aged 50 and older have been depicted in leading films and scripted television series from 2010 to 2020. The study found that characters aged 50 and over “constitute less than a quarter of all personas in blockbuster movies and top-rated TV shows from the last decade.”
According to the study, “the narrative around 50+ characters often leans toward villainy over heroism,” while “romantic storylines are disproportionately lower for characters 50+, with younger characters two to three times more likely to experience romance.”
The research showed a disconnect between media portrayals of older people and audience expectations. “Both men and women seek more authentic, diverse, and aspirational stories that reflect their realities, contradicting common stereotypes associated with aging,” the study said.
The viral Instagram post points out that some of the cast members of The Golden Girls were actually in their 60s but portraying women in their 50s. “The perception of aging has changed dramatically in the last 30/40 years on screen and in real life,” the caption notes.
“Today’s seniors are living longer healthier lives, starting or restarting careers, learning new athletic skills, exploring new passions, finding new social circles, traveling more frequently … the list goes on … for myself at 68 yo [year old] I don’t quite feel like a senior citizen, I think the term is outdated,” the caption concludes.
’55 Does Not Look Like This in Real Life’
The viral post sparked discussion among other users on Instagram.
User lisatant posted: “Blows my mind. My generation looks nothing like my Mum’s generation.”
User soulfoodkitchenbydianne wrote: “Amazing how the perception of aging has changed,” while preminger_6 commented: “55 DOES NOT look like this in real life.”
“I thought they looked too old to be their supposed ages back then. None of my friends look that old and we’re all low to mid 60s,” added georgecatbros.
User evel_van_knievel posted: “We are now allowed to be hotter in age. No more granny short hair perm style, love it.”
“Bottom line, women today don’t act like life is over when they hit 50. They are still attractive, energetic, great looking. Period. That’s the truth. I much prefer today’s attitude,” wrote pattytrevinosilva.
User lisabethrobinson commented: “What’s wrong with how the golden girls look? It’s generally how regular women in their 50s/60s look. Sex and the City is featuring wealthy women trying desperately hard to look as if they haven’t aged. Not progress.”
“Ppl [people] are too afraid to age now with social media—in the 80s there was more freedom and less pressure,” noted thehawaiiblonde.
Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via Instagram. This video has not been independently verified.
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