American comedian, actress, screenwriter, and producer Kathy Griffin rejects reductive labels and age-related judgment. At 65, she fully embraces the term "cougar" applied to her and even turns it into a strength, while denouncing sexist remarks about the appearance of so-called mature women.
"I can't let such a gorgeous body go to waste."
In a recent interview with The Cut, a subsidiary of New York Magazine, she delivered a scathing and jubilant response to her critics. With her characteristic humor, Kathy Griffin uttered this now-viral line: "I get called a cougar all the time, so what? What do you want me to do about it? I can't let a body this good go to waste!" Far from playing the victim, Kathy Griffin transformed the mockery into a declaration of self-love. She celebrated her femininity and her body, refusing to conform to the expectations that women over 50 should become invisible or hide away.
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The paradox of the male gaze on mature women
Kathy Griffin highlights a glaring inconsistency: men constantly comment on women's appearance, their age, their supposed "expiration date," and judge whether they "age well or badly." Yet, these same voices describe women aged 40 and over with envious terms. This ambivalent discourse reflects a form of generational sexism where so-called mature women are simultaneously devalued and overvalued, never simply accepted for who they are.
Against "old-girl sexism" and ageism
The American comedian, actress, screenwriter, and producer is highlighting what is commonly called "older woman sexism": from their forties onward, women face increasing discrimination and stigmatization. In France, journalist Laure Adler, and in the United States, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, have also denounced this system that relegates women to the margins as soon as they age. Kathy Griffin rejects this logic and claims a legitimate place in the public sphere, without having to justify herself.
A response to body shaming on social media
Her intervention is part of a broader fight against body shaming. On the internet, anonymous users and influencers alike relentlessly comment on the appearance of women in the public eye, whether it's their weight, their age, or their style. Kathy Griffin turns this violence against them: by fully accepting her figure and her age, she reminds us that no one has the right to judge another person's body.
Self-love as an act of resistance
At 65, Kathy Griffin has turned self-love into a political weapon. Claiming the right to be "beautiful" becomes an assertion of sovereignty: her body belongs to her, she decides what she does with it and how she presents herself. This stance resonates particularly strongly in an era where beauty standards are slowly evolving, and where so-called mature women are beginning to assert their legitimacy in the face of often condescending attitudes.
Kathy Griffin's caustic humor thus masks a profound reflection on the female condition. By laughing at the labels attached to her, she defuses them and imposes her vision: a free, confident woman who refuses to be pigeonholed. Her rallying cry could be summed up as: be yourself, at any age, against all odds of sexism.
