In cinema, have aging women become rarer than talking animals? That is, word for word, what a new British study demonstrates with unequivocal conclusions, and which speaks volumes about the place that the industry continues to give to women after 60.<\/p>\n
Conducted by the anti-ageism campaign<\/a> Age Without Limits and the Centre for Ageing Better, in partnership with the University of West London Film School, the study examined the 100 highest-grossing films released in the UK in 2023, 2024 and 2025.<\/p>\n The verdict: only five of these productions starred a woman over 60. Meanwhile, twenty films featured a talking animal at the heart of the plot, and six starred an actor named Chris (Chris Pratt, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pine, or Christian Friedel), as reported by Variety<\/a> . In other words, in current blockbusters, you're four times more likely to see an anthropomorphic animal character in the lead role than a woman over 60.<\/p>\n The exceptions are rare but notable: Jennifer Saunders in Allelujah, Nia Vardalos in My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Diane Keaton in Book Club: The Next Chapter, Demi Moore, multi-award winner (Golden Globe, SAG Award, Critics' Choice Award, but snubbed at the 2025 Oscars against Mikey Madison for The Substance), and Jamie Lee Curtis in Freakier Friday. Just five actresses to represent half the population.<\/p>\n And this phenomenon is not new. Back in 2023, the "Cast Aside" study<\/a> , conducted by the same Centre for Ageing Better on nearly 50 popular films released since 2010, showed that women aged 65 and over were more than three times less represented than men of the same age. This imbalance is therefore not a recent phenomenon: it is part of a structural, long-standing trend, fully embraced by the industry.<\/p>\n But the problem doesn't stop with the leading actors. When they do appear on screen, older women are overwhelmingly relegated to secondary roles. The study describes them<\/a> , bluntly, as "passive, pathetic, ridiculed for not acting their age, and often extraneous to the main plot."<\/p>\n In terms of dialogue, the observation is just as striking: female characters over 50 speak 14% less than their male counterparts of the same age. Lacking visual presence, they are also deprived of speech. This two-pronged marginalization transforms the screen into a narrow mirror, where only a few faces\u2014young, female or male, but certainly not too old in the case of women\u2014are given a voice.<\/p>\n This exclusion is no secret: actresses themselves have been denouncing it for years. "There's a consensus in the industry that, once you're an actress, around 40, you're finished," Nicole Kidman already summarized<\/a> . Geena Davis, founder of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, concurred in an interview with CBS News<\/a> : "It's very different for actresses over 50 than for actors of the same age."<\/p>\n The comparison is stark. While aging men continue to be cast as heroes, lovers, or mentors, often opposite significantly younger partners, women are relegated to the sidelines. As if aging as a woman remains, in the cinematic unconscious, an aesthetic flaw to be concealed.<\/p>\n Faced with these figures, several voices are being raised within the industry. Leading the charge is Emma Thompson, 67, an Oscar winner and outspoken supporter of the campaign. "Women make up half the population, and we're getting older. So where are our stories?" the British actress asks in her statement.<\/p>\n And she continued, in a text that circulated widely: \u201cThe older we get, the more interesting we become. I want to see more films centered on mature women: we are captivating, relatable, and it\u2019s time we were put at the heart of the story. Older women don\u2019t need permission to exist on screen. They already exist in the world; it\u2019s up to cinema to catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n This manifesto implicitly echoes those of other figures in the film industry, starting with Demi Moore, whose striking role in Coralie Fargeat's The Substance denounced precisely the discarding of actresses after a certain age. A voice long silenced, which finally seems to be finding its voice.<\/p>\n The most paradoxical aspect of this erasure is that it runs counter to public expectations. According to a parallel survey of 4,000 people, one in three respondents believes there aren't enough films starring women over 60, a figure that rises to 39% among women. One in six even says they would be more inclined to go to the cinema if an older woman were the lead.<\/p>\n The disparity is all the more striking given that in the UK, nearly one in five moviegoers is over 55. "The representation of older actresses in leading roles is so disproportionate to the older cinema audience that this lack is, frankly, insulting," says Dr. Carole Easton, director of the Centre for Ageing Better. Insulting, then\u2014and economically absurd.<\/p>\n The essential question remains: what does this invisibility reveal, beyond the realm of cinema? \u201cBy failing to accurately represent older people, and particularly older women, the film industry actively contributes to the marginalization of seniors in society,\u201d warns Harriet Bailiss, co-leader of the campaign. \u201cIt\u2019s no wonder so many women say they feel invisible as they age, when they never see themselves reflected on screen.\u201d<\/p>\n Because cinema doesn't just depict the world: it shapes it. With each film that chooses to place a 25-year-old heroine alongside a 60-year-old hero, an entire collective imagination is reenacted, teaching us, scene after scene, that women are valued primarily for their youth and that for them, growing old is tantamount to fading away. This fiction ultimately produces very real effects, in the workplace, in social life, and even in the self-esteem that aging women have.<\/p>\n At a time when diversity is finally taking center stage, ageism\u2014particularly when it targets women\u2014remains a blind spot in the film industry. By pointing out that a talking animal is now more likely than a 60-year-old woman to land a starring role, this study poses a simple yet urgent question: how much longer will cinema pretend not to see half its audience? Actresses have already begun to raise their voices. It remains to be seen whether the industry is finally ready to listen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In cinema, have aging women become rarer than talking animals? That is, word for word, what a new...","protected":false},"author":8395,"featured_media":443364,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"disable_msn":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1062],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-443362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-culture"],"image":{"medium":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Substance-screen-film-200x113.jpg",200,113,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Substance-screen-film-500x281.jpg",500,281,true]},"custom":{"td_video":"","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/The-Substance-screen-film.jpg","author":{"name":"Clelia Campardon","avatar":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/clelia-96x96.jpg"},"categories":[{"term_id":1062,"name":"Culture","slug":"culture","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":1156,"taxonomy":"category","description":" The Culture section of The Body Optimist picks and analyzes movies, TV shows, books, music and exhibitions through the lens of representation: which bodies, which women and which identities do we see on screen, on the shelves or on stage? Its recommendations, analysis and behind-the-scenes stories are for anyone who loves entertainment but doesn\u2019t check their critical eye at the door.<\/p>\n An inclusive work doesn\u2019t just add a \u201cdifferent\u201d character: it gives that character a story, desires and a point of view. A few questions help you size up a movie, a series or a novel:<\/p>\n The concept of the \u201cfemale gaze\u201d<\/a> also offers a useful framework for analyzing how the camera looks at women.<\/p>\n We love pop culture without ignoring its blind spots. Our picks make room for women writers, directors and artists whose bodies or backgrounds are rarely seen, and our analysis questions how works portray women, fat people and LGBTQIA+ people. A series can be pure fun and still deserve a critical look: the two aren\u2019t mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n The \u201cfemale gaze\u201d is a way of filming or telling stories that invites the audience to share the experience of female characters instead of presenting them as objects of desire. The idea responds to the \u201cmale gaze,\u201d a concept developed by British film theorist Laura Mulvey to describe cinema built around a male point of view.<\/p>\n Movies, TV shows and books help define what we see as beautiful, normal or desirable. Seeing fat, older, disabled or LGBTQIA+ people in fully developed roles, not just as sidekicks, broadens those reference points. Recognizing yourself in a heroine helps you feel legitimate, and diversity on screen helps push back against stereotypes.<\/p>\n Look for stories where a diverse range of heroines and heroes take action and make decisions, without roles reserved for one gender. Themed lists on consent, difference or disability make the choice easier. Watching or reading together then opens the conversation: what your child understood, what surprised them, what they would have done in the character\u2019s place.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Our Society<\/a> section extends these reflections on norms and discrimination, and our Celebrities<\/a> section follows the artists who speak out about their bodies and mental health.<\/p>","parent":0,"count":715,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":1062,"category_count":715,"category_description":" The Culture section of The Body Optimist picks and analyzes movies, TV shows, books, music and exhibitions through the lens of representation: which bodies, which women and which identities do we see on screen, on the shelves or on stage? Its recommendations, analysis and behind-the-scenes stories are for anyone who loves entertainment but doesn\u2019t check their critical eye at the door.<\/p>\n An inclusive work doesn\u2019t just add a \u201cdifferent\u201d character: it gives that character a story, desires and a point of view. A few questions help you size up a movie, a series or a novel:<\/p>\n The concept of the \u201cfemale gaze\u201d<\/a> also offers a useful framework for analyzing how the camera looks at women.<\/p>\n We love pop culture without ignoring its blind spots. Our picks make room for women writers, directors and artists whose bodies or backgrounds are rarely seen, and our analysis questions how works portray women, fat people and LGBTQIA+ people. A series can be pure fun and still deserve a critical look: the two aren\u2019t mutually exclusive.<\/p>\n The \u201cfemale gaze\u201d is a way of filming or telling stories that invites the audience to share the experience of female characters instead of presenting them as objects of desire. The idea responds to the \u201cmale gaze,\u201d a concept developed by British film theorist Laura Mulvey to describe cinema built around a male point of view.<\/p>\n Movies, TV shows and books help define what we see as beautiful, normal or desirable. Seeing fat, older, disabled or LGBTQIA+ people in fully developed roles, not just as sidekicks, broadens those reference points. Recognizing yourself in a heroine helps you feel legitimate, and diversity on screen helps push back against stereotypes.<\/p>\n Look for stories where a diverse range of heroines and heroes take action and make decisions, without roles reserved for one gender. Themed lists on consent, difference or disability make the choice easier. Watching or reading together then opens the conversation: what your child understood, what surprised them, what they would have done in the character\u2019s place.<\/p>\n Want to go further? Our Society<\/a> section extends these reflections on norms and discrimination, and our Celebrities<\/a> section follows the artists who speak out about their bodies and mental health.<\/p>","cat_name":"Culture","category_nicename":"culture","category_parent":0}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443362","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=443362"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443362\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":444522,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/443362\/revisions\/444522"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/443364"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=443362"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=443362"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=443362"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} Three years, one hundred successes, an undeniable conclusion<\/h2>\n
When they exist, these are caricatured and silent roles.<\/h2>\n
An industry that "fires" actresses as young as 40<\/h2>\n
"Where are our stories?": The actresses' revolt<\/h2>\n
A demanding public, a blind economy<\/h2>\n
Beyond cinema, a signal sent to the whole of society<\/h2>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Culture section<\/h2>\n
\n
How can you tell if a movie, show or book is truly inclusive?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: enjoying culture with eyes wide open<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What is the \u201cfemale gaze\u201d?<\/h3>\n
Why does body representation in movies, TV and books matter?<\/h3>\n
How do you choose inclusive movies and books for kids?<\/h3>\n
What you\u2019ll find in the Culture section<\/h2>\n
\n
How can you tell if a movie, show or book is truly inclusive?<\/h2>\n
\n
Our approach: enjoying culture with eyes wide open<\/h2>\n
Articles to start with<\/h2>\n
\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What is the \u201cfemale gaze\u201d?<\/h3>\n
Why does body representation in movies, TV and books matter?<\/h3>\n
How do you choose inclusive movies and books for kids?<\/h3>\n