Goodbye Old Lady! Hello Queenager!

A few years ago, my writing partner, Lillie Evans, and I were notified that our full-length play script, Grandmothers, Incorporated won a playwriting competition. Our work was selected from over 600 submissions from 33 countries. Nobody could tell us that we weren’t hot stuff. We were ecstatic, on top of the world. We were also reluctant to tell people the name of the contest we won. It’s called the Old Lady Project.

To Be or Not to Be – Old

We knew the name of the contest when we entered it, but the fact that the competition called for play scripts featuring female-identifying characters ages 50 and up overrode any reservations we might have had about the title. You see, in the world of television and film, good roles are hard to find for seasoned actresses. Women over the age of 50 are considered “old,” over the hill.

According to a 2020 study published by the Geena Davis Institute, a nonprofit organization that analyzes media representation, only one in four of all television and film characters are women ages 50 or older. Theatrical roles account for a mere 15-20%. Too often, roles for women of this age are marginal or stereotypical. But, as writers in this age range, we decided that this wasn’t going to happen, not on our watch!

As authors and playwrights, Lillie and I created the Grandmothers, Incorporated cozy book series about three crime fighting widows in their 60s. Our characters are smart, funny, clever, and resilient. These women are like us, our friends and family members. They’re probably like people you know. Our creative efforts have resulted in our lively characters being featured in four published novels, and three award-winning plays – one of which appeared Off Broadway.

Recently, we co-wrote and produced The Funeral, a short comedic film, based on our first Grandmothers, Incorporated novel. Everyone involved in that production was ages 60 to 80. We’ve been touting how fabulous women 60 and over are for years. The word “old” was never a consideration.

What’s in a Word

The Old Lady Project was launched as a competition in 2022 by the city of Evanston, Illinois, located not far from Chicago. I’ve often wondered why such a negative sounding label was put on such a worthwhile venture.

In youth-obsessed America, calling someone old could lead to a fight. Being “old” is too often associated with the idea of being wrinkled, decrepit, washed up, and even useless. The dictionary defines “old” as “having lived for a long time, belonging to the past, and being of a specific age,” although it doesn’t say exactly what age defines one as being “old.” Isn’t that interesting?

It’s Time for a Reset

I don’t like the way people use the word “old,” especially when describing women. Until the negative perception about the word changes, if ever, I’ve decided that I’m incorporating another word in my vocabulary when referring to myself. I’m calling myself a Queenager.

I first heard the word when award-winning producer and director Lisa Maydwell came to my house for a meeting. Lisa, who is in her 60s and launched her successful film career in her 50s, brought her mother with her to the meeting. Her mother was a beautiful woman, whose age I couldn’t begin to guess. As we talked, I heard her refer to herself as a Queenager, and I was immediately intrigued.

Looking up the word, I found that it is a contemporary term, coined by Eleanor Mills, a British journalist. Defined, “a Queenager is a term for a confident, active, and independent woman in midlife (typically in her 40s to 60s) who is stepping into a new phase of empowerment, financial freedom, and self-discovery. The word blends “queen” (maturity and authority) with “teenager” (youthful energy and curiosity).”

I love it! The word describes everything I am and have been for quite some time. I consider aging a privilege. The years have brought me wisdom and peace of mind. I know that there are other words that I could use, less triggering, to describe myself at this stage in my life. But I like the word Queenager. For me, it’s time to bring in the new and toss out the “old”!

Your Turn:

What about you? What do you think about the word Queenager? Do you see yourself as one?