The Overs Category

The Overs Category in ‘The X Factor’ was notorious for featuring contestants that the public knew wouldn’t win. It was almost a given that surely, they were too old for stardom. Stella, you can’t get your groove back, go and sit down; your osteoporosis is kicking in. Mind you, The Overs is short for over-25s. 

Over 25s.

Generously, they stretched it to Over 29s at one point, because beyond that, of course you can’t chase your dreams!! When Simon Cowell learned he’d lead the Overs after a public vote, he said “I can’t believe I’m stuck with this category.”  The category reinforced the false idea that after my twenties, dreams would have no choice but to be deferred. As I glacially approach my mid-20s, I am encouraged to think about the entertainment industry and their approach to what they consider old age, especially for women.

Spring Chickens to Old Cows

This same ageist mindset isn’t limited to reality TV—it’s entrenched in the film and TV industry as well. The evolution of an actress portraying a leading lady, to supporting mum, to uncredited grandma while men maintain their star power. The silver fox man vs the crazy cat lady woman trope has been a thread through screen heritage, with older men still taking the lead, still getting the girl, still being desired. Humphrey Bogart, a film giant in the 20th century, would lead with girls on screen who were almost 30 years his junior in the 1940s. This was extremely common, but only if the girl was the younger one. It was very rare for women over 40 to get a leading lady role. The studio heads of the 20th century were mainly older white men; they didn’t really care about women’s stories if they didn’t fit the younger demographic. You would have to be a wealthy woman to negotiate with the studios and write your own story to get a leading role after a certain age, like Katharine Hepburn did. 

Things changed when ‘Sunset Boulevard’ (1950) was released. It depicts Norma Desmond (played by Gloria Swanson) as an older actress who wants to regain her stardom and falls into madness as she does. The old age that she was fighting against was 50 by the way. This ‘washed up woman’ trope thrived in thrillers like ‘What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?’ (1962), ‘Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?’ (1971) and ‘Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte’ (1964). Despite giving older women roles, it was still largely centred on losing their minds because of lost youth, therefore, these films were under the genre, hagsploitation (as in exploiting their ‘old-hagness’). Others use the term ‘psycho-biddy’ films but whichever you prefer! Back then, horrors and thrillers were seen more as B-movies, so they were often regarded poorly and it was a humiliating step down for the actresses once in the centre of the most beloved films. Only seeing older women in roles as nut jobs in thrillers or traumatised women in horrors can be detrimental to the audience’s view of them beyond the screen. As an article said, “how are women ever going to come to terms with the inevitability of ageing when the only representations of our older bodies are used to horrify?” 

With this genre, there was a huge gap for the mid life woman. You were either Audrey Hepburn or Betty White, Zendaya or Maggie Smith, sexy young vixen or wise old owl. But following the feminist movement of the late 20th century, more middle aged women were getting their chance, just barely though. There was more hope in TV, which wasn’t taken as seriously as cinema but was making waves for older women. For example, the show ‘The Golden Girls’ (1985-1992) centred 4 women whose ages ranged from their late 40s to their late 80s. Nowadays, we have shows like ‘And Just Like That’, ‘Grace and Frankie’, ‘Hacks’, ‘Bad Sisters’ and whatever limited series Nicole Kidman is filming now. I am aware though that these also centre white women, so as always, there is work to be done.

Going back to movies, there is some progress, but naturally, Hollywood needs older women for biopics, though that seems to be cornered by a few actresses. Meryl Streep, I’m calling you out.

Other movies like the The Marigold Hotel series, ‘The Fabulous Four’, ‘Wine Country’ and ’80 for Brady’ give the audience a new perspective on older women living life to the fullest and that brings me joy. Still, it’s not perfect but I’m seeing improvement in older women being depicted as people who have something to say as compelling lead characters.

Toy Boy Time?

Other genres are less…wholesome. There has been a surge in older romances, especially the May-December trope (age gap relationships – May is younger, December is older). December women are not new, but it is definitely more accepted now. ‘Harold and Maude’ (1971) and ‘The Graduate’ (1967) for example, explored this trope in the spirit of the second wave of feminism, albeit with darker tones. More lighthearted movies like ‘How Stella Got Her Groove Back’, ‘A Family Affair’, ‘The Idea of You’, ‘Good Luck To You, Leo Grande’ and ‘Babygirl’ go against the notion that older women can only be desired satirically, and people are here for it! However, the problem remains that when it’s an older man with a younger woman, it doesn’t require much explanation, but when it’s the older woman with the younger man, it takes the entire plot to explain how it could be and the crippling guilt that the woman must feel. There is still a problem with older women in the industry being accepted, with ‘The Substance’ (2024) having echoes of ‘Sunset Boulevard’ even over 70 years later. Despite the dissolution of the star system, it seems that the problem of older women fighting against Hollywood prejudices persists.

According to studies, women over 40 make up a quarter of the global population, yet their on-screen representation dropped from 20% in 2015 to 14% in 2022. In 2023, only three films starred women 45+ compared to 32 films with men in the same age group.This number isn’t great for men or women. The stories of the older people can be entertaining, important and necessary for everyone to watch. So Overs, dust yourself off, grab that zimmerframe and get on stage because you have something to give. It may be difficult, but if not now, then when?