1st Edition

The Other Within Us Feminist Explorations Of Women And Aging

By Marilyn Pearsall Copyright 1997
    288 Pages
    by Routledge

    291 Pages
    by Routledge

    Feminist women bequeath to us a powerful critique of our society's obsession with beauty and impossible body ideals. Having refused makeup, high heels, and short skirts in their youth, these women are now entering the most stigmatized stage in a woman's life?old age. As she becomes the ?older woman,? the feminist's rejection of beauty standards and her ability to locate self-worth is being challenged.How will feminists respond to the issues raised in this phase of their lives? By confronting the issues unique to older women in our culture and society, these authors redress the neglect and isolation experienced within contemporary feminism and gerontology.Ultimately, the goal of the book is to inspire the aging woman to more easily embrace the ?older other? within her.

    Introduction -- Situating -- The Double Standard of Aging -- Portnoy’s Mother’s Complaints -- The Plight of Older Black Women -- The Feminization of Poverty Among the Elderly -- Older Women in the City -- Problematizing -- Friends or Foes -- Heresy in the Female Body -- Gender, Race, and Class -- The View from Over the Hill -- Adult Daughters and Care for the Elderly -- What Setting Limits May Mean -- Representing -- Sunset Boulevard -- Remembering Our Foremothers -- Visible Difference -- Time Will Tell -- Privileging -- Toward Another Dimension … -- Indian Summer -- In the Heat of Shadow -- Mirror of Strength -- The Space Crone -- Serenity and Power

    Biography

    Marilyn Pearsall teaches philosophy and women's studies at the University of Puget Sound and is a research associate at the Five College Women's Studies Research centre.