In the nearly ten years since I completed my doctoral work that focused on ageism and the lack of representation of women over the age of 40 as romantic leads/heroines, I thought it might be time to look back and see if we’ve, like Fatboy Slim and the old Virginia Slims ads said, “come a long way, baby.” I’m compiling my thoughts, and the thoughts from a few others who have written about older women in romance fiction and film and popular media, the romance publishing industry, ageism, sexism, stereotypes, intersectionality, gender bias, fat-shaming, ethnicity… well, you get where I am coming from and where I am going.

Please stay tuned.

I know it has been a while since I’ve gotten up on my soapbox and roared about women, ageism, and the entertainment media. Roaring has been a challenge since I, literally, lost my voice thanks to the C-word I hate more than the other c-word, which I actually have no issue with using. I will say the Long C word is BORING AF, and over the last 2 1/2 years, my life has been a tilt-a-whirl-rollercoaster of the unexpected, as it has been for many. However, there have been lots of good things that happened to me too. I have come a long way, baby, and know I have a bit further to go. It’s all best done in small steps that celebrate me, baby.

My apologies to Fatboy Slim.