Kamala Harris Is Older, Wiser ... and Cooler

(some really great images at the link below!)


Kamala Harris Is Older, Wiser … and Cooler
PUBLISHED 7/26/2024 by Jennifer Weiss-Wolf and Sharon Malone

Harris has achieved what might have seemed impossible: She has changed the perception of what it looks and sounds like to be an “older” woman.Kamala Harris has rapidly assumed the mantel of cool, youthful candidate. Among Gen Z voters, she is “brat” as decreed by Charli XCX, with pop culture legends like Olivia Rodrigo and Beyoncé lining up fast for the cause. Among the older crowd, longstanding debate over whether the vice president qualifies as a Baby Boomer—born in 1964, she is just on the cusp—rages on. It is apparently a hill Gen X is prepared to die on, citing her penchant for Chuck Taylors as proof. All of which is to say that at nearly 60 years old, Harris has achieved what might have seemed impossible before this moment: She has changed the perception of what it looks and sounds like to be an exceptionally vibrant and eminently capable “older” woman.

The two of us write regularly about menopause as a matter of personal health and public policy. We know quite well what happens when ageism, sexism and racism collide—and focus our work on countering the resulting biases that permeate society, whether that be in the practice of medicine, the distribution of dollars for scientific research or political gamesmanship itself. Not surprisingly, cartoonish tropes surfaced quickly when Harris entered the race—claims like those of JD Vance, who said that older women are akin to “childless cat ladies,” “miserable” and with no direct stake in the future of the country. The public’s pushback has been swift, reinforcing Harris’ status as an authentically joyful warrior. With every new and resurfaced clip that makes the rounds—of Harris dancing down hallways, marching in parades and sharing humane interactions with her spouse, with President Biden, with the people of this country—we see a woman who radiates from the certainty of age and of knowing herself. Quite frankly, it is a gorgeous sight.

. . . .

If menopause no longer means women hiding their true selves or pretending to be a younger version of themselves, what does portend for all of us? Beyond the benefits that come with the hard-earned credibility and respect we deserve, it can herald a new future for public policy and pop culture. Already we’ve seen a surge in commitment to investing federal funding in research about women’s midlife health, including a national task force led by First Lady Jill Biden and four bipartisan federal bills recently introduced in the U.S. Senate and House. We reap the benefits from new companies and consumer brands that focus explicitly on ensuring essential access to menopause care and treatments. We get to revel in media that celebrates aging bodies and brains, like the continued dominance of 42-year-old Beyoncé herself and the award-winning Wiser Than Me podcast hosted by another veep, Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Beyond the need to be seen and heard, it is also about flexing our clout. A 1992 New York Times opinion piece entitled “Mighty Menopause” posited that the then-unprecedented rise of Baby Boomer women in politics was a direct result of hormonal shifts—and the “biological changes wrought by menopause” ultimately serve to bolster women’s “interest in power and increase their ability to use it.” We love to see it. And are here to declare that what’s old is new—in every way.

https://msmagazine.com/2024/07/26/kamala-harris-age-older-women-menopause-baby-boomer-gen-x/