I've
seen it, felt it, heard it and lived it. What am I talking about? The forgotten woman. More often than not, she’s in her late 30s/early 40s, never married or recently divorced and without kids. But she could be 60 just as easily as 40, never married, no kids, but just as interested in life and love as she was at a younger ag—maybe even more interested. Some of the most fascinating stories in life are about people who have found love at an older age—whether for the first time or umpteenth time. We all want to find love and we want to believe that it’s out there at any age. And it is.
We don’t hear about those stories often enough. We’re mostly aware of women of a certain age who are wives, mothers, and grandmothers even, living traditional lives. But there are plenty of other women who do not fit into that demographic. So what’s a woman to do when she has reaches a certain age but is living a life in totally opposite to what the perceived majority of women are living? Where does she go for inspiration? Where are the movies, the magazines, the television shows, the books?
Hollywood rarely casts an actress over the age of 40 to portray a leading lady. The rare movie, such as “Something’s Gotta Give,” is a great step forward and one many women can probably relate to it. Occasionally a magazine comes along, such as “Moxie” but is only available online since the print edition has been suspended. We've heard rumors of and seen a few novels called hen lit, matron lit or whatever old-sounding lit you might think of. But these books are about women who have led traditional lives, married, children, and are now going through a divorce or death of a spouse, dealing with their teen-age or young adult children and their aging parents. That's fine. That's great. For other people.
The women whose needs are not being addressed are those in that in-between age—looking at 40 either in the mirror or down the road yet and wondering about changing their life. Is it time to get married? Will I ever get married? Will I ever have kids? Do I even want kids? Should I buy a house? Settle down? Should I move to Paris? My life is a mess, how do I turn it around? Can I get a second chance? I'm turning 40, what should I be doing with my life anyway?
Forty and beyond isn’t what it used to be. Women are looking, feeling, and acting younger and because women have the freedom to make different choices, they’re not always choosing the traditional path. These women need an awareness raised about their circumstances and their needs addressed. They’re a market just waiting to be developed.
Kathy Holmes writes women's fiction with romantic comedy elements while raising an awareness for Women over 40. Visit her at
www.kathyholmes.net,
Chicks Over 40.Blogspot.com
