Are actresses not allowed to age?
Actors are allowed to age but actresses can't- This has been the common principle in showbiz, where most of the female artistes are subjugated to stereotypical questions like 'How does it feel like acting in your age' and 'How does it feel like romancing a younger artiste in your age'. Whenever actresses start to reach their 40's and 50's, they are pinned with such demeaning questions. Some actresses prefer to hide their age due to the social stigma while others try to flaunt it.
Recently, Rituparna Sengupta came to Bangladesh on August 12 to shoot her film "Sporsho" where she will be seen opposite Nirab Hossain. During its press conference, the National award winning actress was asked ridiculous questions by a journalist, who pestered the actress about her age. Here are some of the questions he asked- "How are you still a heroine at the age of 52?" "How do you keep yourself fit at the age of 52 where most of the Bangladeshi artistes lose their heroine status at the age of 30-35?"
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Rituparna was immediately furious and schooled the journalist with a powerful response
"What kind of question is that? I am not 52 yet and no one should ask a girl about her age and a man about their salary. This is highly disrespectful. If you don't edit this question, I will leave immediately," said the actress.
Yesterday, another renowned actress from Kolkata, Sreelekha Mitra, celebrated her 51st birthday at home as she is currently afflicted with Dengue. The actress posted a status today, where she discreetly condemned Rituparna for feeling ashamed of accepting her age and also chided men who ask such questions.
"I have heard heroines don't age. Do you think they come from different planets? I completed 50 years yesterday and turned 51, and I am really proud of it. However, if you would ask me what my inner child's age is, then it's definitely 15," said the actress.
"Come on peeps, ageing is the most obvious natural process. Ageing is beautiful. One has to learn to enjoy the same and be confident about oneself. Trollers continue to criticise women about their age. I just have something to say to them- 'Get a life. It's because of men like you that women keep on hiding their age.
Nevertheless, it pains me to see women lying or hiding their actual age. Women who hide their age are definitely not empowered. Don't let your voice be controlled by society and protest against age shaming," concluded the actress.
Bollywood actresses too experience their fair share of trolling regarding their age. Kareena Kapoor and Malaika Arora, who are really good friends, have recently become targets of age shaming.
In 2021, Kareena Kapoor celebrated her 41st birthday, where she shared a no makeup image on Instagram with her husband, Saif Ali Khan. However, social media users were quick to dispense their judgement as they labelled Kareena "old" for uploading a no filter image on a social media platform.
Many others even told the actress that she looks older than Saif Ali Khan, who is 10 years her senior.
However, Kareena Kapoor is not the only celebrity who has received backlash for her age or for releasing a no filter photo of herself. Malaika Arora has previously been criticised for being "too old," with many claiming that she "should act her age", just because she wears shorts.
However, the situation is entirely reversed when it comes to Bollywood actors. Grey hair is a common condition that many artistes suffer from. When actors embrace their grey hair, they are often called 'Silver Fox' or 'flaunting salt-and-pepper hair look'. However, when Sameera Reddy embraced her grey hair- many people commented that she looked like a 'white witch' or commented saying, 'Why are you not dying your hair. You are looking like too old."
When Ajay Devgn posted an image of his salt-and-pepper look. One person commented "Nice new look", and "You are a great man who is rocking the whole look".
This hypocrisy is also evident in Amitabh Bachchan's photographs. The septuagenarian actor is frequently spotted wearing hip tracksuits teamed with a bandana, yet he has never been criticised for "dressing too young for his age." In fact, people frequently comment on how "cool" he looks in his casual outfit.
Time and again- actresses had to put up with the conventional beauty standards that society has imposed on them. They must remain pretty and fit with luscious black hair as getting old lessens your chance of being part of showbiz. How long should actresses face such misogynist comments? And when will this act of age-shaming stop?
While looking for the answers, I remembered America Ferrera's iconic monologue from "Barbie". Here is the excerpt from the movie that touched me deeply.
"You have to be thin, but not too thin. And you can never say you want to be thin. You have to say you want to be healthy, but also you have to be thin. You have to never get old, never be rude, never show off, never be selfish, never fall down, never fail. You have to answer for men's bad behaviour, which is insane, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining. You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them. I'm just so tired of watching myself and every single other woman tie herself into knots so that people will like us. And if all of that is also true for a doll just representing women, then I don't even know."
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