The Other Within Us
Feminist Explorations Of Women And Aging
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- $64.99
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- $64.99
Publisher Description
Feminist women bequeath to us a powerful critique of our society's obsession with beauty and impossible body ideals. Having refused makeup, high heels, and short skirts in their youth, these women are now entering the most stigmatized stage in a woman's life?old age. As she becomes the ?older woman,? the feminist's rejection of beauty standards and her ability to locate self-worth is being challenged.How will feminists respond to the issues raised in this phase of their lives? By confronting the issues unique to older women in our culture and society, these authors redress the neglect and isolation experienced within contemporary feminism and gerontology.Ultimately, the goal of the book is to inspire the aging woman to more easily embrace the ?older other? within her.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pearsall (Women and Values: Readings in Recent Feminist Philosophy) has edited this collection of scholarly pieces about female aging because of her conviction that contemporary feminist theorists have neglected this issue. Several carefully researched essays address aging within a sociological context, such as elderly women in urban areas (Elizabeth W. Markson, Bess B. Hess), older African American women (Jacquelyne Johnson Jackson) and the impact of race and class on aging (Paula L. Dressel). In a provocative piece concerning the prejudicial treatment older women in lesbian communities receive from such groups' younger members, the late Baba Copper critiques Susan Sontag's essay "The Double Standard of Aging" (reprinted here) as both hetero-sexist and ageist. Germaine Greer contributes her interesting though occasionally rambling thoughts on the liberating aspects of getting older, and Joanna Frueh discusses the problems of aging female artists. This collection will be of interest primarily to those working in women's studies or gerontology.
