Lecturer's expert opinion piece on older women in film and TV sparks debate
An opinion piece by performance and comedy lecturer Lisa Moore, originally published in The Conversation, has been raising a lot of discussion.
The piece 'Invisible lives: where are all the older women in film and TV' takes an in-depth look at the lack of roles for older female actors. Lisa uses research from various sources to support her argument.
"Research from 2019 found that older women are often relegated to supporting roles in films – or are consistently portrayed as grumpy, frumpy or senile," she explains.
Lisa goes on to describe the result this is having on women and girls of all ages.
She says: "It’s a painful irony that a multi-billion pound industry, purporting to mirror real life is essentially erasing women’s stories from our screens. And when older women are shown, TV and film casting often favours women who have bodies that are the shapes and sizes of younger women. Research from the US has linked this to eating disorders and negative body image in older women."
The thought-provoking piece has been picked up by publications worldwide, including Yahoo!, Birmingham Star and LiveWire.
You can find the article in full here: https://theconversation.com/invisible-lives-where-are-all-the-older-women-in-film-and-tv-168012
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