I am always surprised when people assume I am a sweet old lady. No one ever mistook me for a sweet and unassuming teenager or a sweet middle aged woman. I
may look like a chubby, gray haired, little old woman now, but I am no lady. I have written about my distaste for "ladies" before. You really cannot make assumptions about old folks. We are just like we were when we were young, except slower and more wrinkled. OK, maybe we have gained some weight, too. Oh well!
Some older women are sweet and kind. Others are a bit like Geraldine Page's character, Mrs. Ritter, in The Pope of Greenwich Village. You never know who we are until you take the time to get to know us.
Here's a clip from that movie with the great Ms. Page. I really love this character and this scene. In 1984, when this movie came out, I was 33 years old. At the time I was an employee union organizer trying to bring collective bargaining to Cornell University in order to demand some respect for women in traditionally female jobs. I was pretty tough and sure of myself. That is how I wanted to stay.
You know how it is when you are young. The thought of aging horrified me. Not only did I not want my youth to fade, I did not want to become a vulnerable and sweet old lady. That seemed to be the only older woman role model when I looked around back then. The character of Mrs. Ritter was something of a revelation to me because, even though she was older, alone, and grieving the loss of her son, she remained a badass woman. I love Geraldine's interpretation of this character. A lesser actress might have made a joke out of her. She's no joke.
Some older women are sweet and kind. Others are a bit like Geraldine Page's character, Mrs. Ritter, in The Pope of Greenwich Village. You never know who we are until you take the time to get to know us.
Here's a clip from that movie with the great Ms. Page. I really love this character and this scene. In 1984, when this movie came out, I was 33 years old. At the time I was an employee union organizer trying to bring collective bargaining to Cornell University in order to demand some respect for women in traditionally female jobs. I was pretty tough and sure of myself. That is how I wanted to stay.
You know how it is when you are young. The thought of aging horrified me. Not only did I not want my youth to fade, I did not want to become a vulnerable and sweet old lady. That seemed to be the only older woman role model when I looked around back then. The character of Mrs. Ritter was something of a revelation to me because, even though she was older, alone, and grieving the loss of her son, she remained a badass woman. I love Geraldine's interpretation of this character. A lesser actress might have made a joke out of her. She's no joke.
