Public talk and Panel Discussion: Ageing femininity on screen: the older woman in contemporary cinema

We are delighted to invite you to a special guest lecture by Dr Niall Richardson, Associate Professor in Film Studies at the University of Sussex and Convenor of the MA in Gender & Media.

Ageing Femininity on Screen: The Older Woman in Contemporary Cinema

Cinema’s Gendered Gerontophobia: From ‘”Horrific” Hags’ to ‘”Successful” Agers’.

This talk explores the gendered “double standard” of ageing in Anglophone fiction film and popular culture. Drawing upon feminist gerontology, Dr Richardson will examine how fiction narratives have historically represented older female characters as objects of revulsion, fear, or humour. The lecture will also consider how recent film and popular culture attempt to replace these tropes with the discourse of “successful” ageing. While this shift may appear progressive, the talk will critically assess how such narratives can inadvertently intensify gerontophobia and even serve as a form of “grey washing” that masks more troubling ideologies.

Dr Richardson is the author of several influential monographs, including Transgender Representation in Contemporary, Popular Cinema (2022), Ageing Femininity on Screen: The Older Woman in Contemporary Cinema (2018), Transgressive Bodies: Representations in Film and Popular Culture (2010), and The Queer Cinema of Derek Jarman (2009).

We warmly encourage staff, students, and members of the wider community to attend what promises to be a stimulating and timely discussion.

Registration is available online.