The Golden Age of women in their 50s: When icons shatter the glass ceiling

Madonna (soon to be 68), Shakira (nearly 50), and Demi Moore are proving to the whole world that creativity knows no age. Far from the entirely outdated clichés about the decline of women aged 50 and older, things are finally changing thanks to public figures who are reversing the trend.

“I’m incapable of loving a 50-year-old woman. I find that too old.” This scathing remark by Yann Moix, made during a 2019 interview with Marie-Claire, perfectly illustrates the discriminatory and misogynistic ideas that flood our society. A spark in the fire of these women in their 50s who seamlessly blend performance with maturity.

Whether it’s Shakira’s record-breaking tours or Madonna’s stage feats, these female icons are defying the expectations tied to the numbers on the clock.“Perceptions are changing thanks to these women because they keep moving forward despite the criticism,” says Sophie Dancourt, founder of the media outlet J’ai piscine avec Simone. “What’s interesting is that they’re turning the dominant narrative of loss and decline on its head.”

The real change comes from the growing number of these role models (Mylène Farmer, Demi Moore… or the heroines of series such as Sex Education and Emily in Paris). Sophie Dancourt, author of “Old—What Time Is That?!” 50, the New Golden Age,” emphasizes:

“The bandwagon effect is incredibly important (...) Before, we’d have one every now and then and turn her into a role model. The more of them there are, the more it inspires others to follow suit. And, let’s face it, there will be more and more of us, if only for demographic reasons. Ultimately, it’s just a matter of putting things into perspective.”

Persistent obstacles

Despite these advances, underrepresentation and the cult of eternal youth remain deeply entrenched in the media. As a result, a sad form of self-censorship has taken hold among women. Even celebrities face extreme aesthetic pressure:

“We often see young models promoting ‘anti-aging’ creams. It’s part of the pressure we face, which leads to a kind of self-censorship to conform to these standards,” explains Sophie Dancourt.“We see a lot of faces that no longer show their age—it goes even beyond simply staying young—and it’s very unsettling. As a result, they do continue their careers, yes, but we can’t help but feel that they’re doing so despite their age.”

In the professional world, the glass ceiling remains, unfortunately, very real—especially when it comes to career transitions and raising funds to achieve that goal. Can we turn this stir into a lasting revolution? We’ll definitely need to shift into high gear:“We have to move beyond mere declarations of intent. There are laws and charters, but things really need to change. We need to support women without always focusing on quotas and recognize their value.”

The message is starting to resonate and make waves, but the fight continues.