GUEST POST by MICHAEL STEINMAN Imagine you’ve had a visible medical scare: a dermatologist has carved a chunk out of your forehead,...
Feminism
Women’s Friendships As A Lifeline
A friend once said, “If grown women had pajama parties, they wouldn’t need therapists.” She was referring to the close connections among girls that often get lost when women mature, becoming preoccupied with family and careers. Feminist psychology contends that because women are affiliative by nature they frequently find their voice [...]
Pat Taub
How Did We Become So Obsessed with Aging?
My grandmothers and mother lived into their 80’s, transitioning into old age with only minimal complaints. They didn’t take mega doses of vitamins, or exercise madly to stave off the Grim Reaper. Nor were they bombarded with advice on how to slow the aging process. Both of my grandmothers dressed up almost every day. My paternal grandmother [...]
Pat Taub
Books and Videos for Your Hibernation
My mother’s spirit was whispering in my ear, “Lockdown is the perfect time to clean your closets, messy kitchen drawers and disorganized office.” I shooed her away insisting that I’ll get around to cleaning eventually. I explained that until I find my equilibrium I need pleasurable diversions like books and films. This week I’m [...]
Pat Taub
Resisting Body Shaming
Whenever I visit Western Europe I can’t help but notice how much kinder it is to the aging woman than the States are. We are bombarded by media images that equate beauty almost exclusively with a young body. By contrast, women in Western Europe, while aware of their aging forms, don’t seem to experience body shaming to the same degree. [...]
Pat Taub
Aging May be a Laughing Matter After All . . .
Did you know it’s believed that a sense of humor can increase your life span? Thoughtful aging tends to stress diet and exercise, having a sense of purpose and close, nurturing relationships while frequently overlooking the benefits of humor. I’m not referring to humor which is mean-spirited, but humor used to alleviate frustration with [...]
Pat Taub
Don’t Give Up!
If you care about justice and human dignity, last week was a very bad week. The Senate’s impeachment trial turned into a farce. While we were distracted by the Senate’s circus, Trump was busy adding to his list of egregious crimes: gutting the clean water act and adding six African countries to his travel ban. As our country morphs [...]
Pat Taub
Learning to Love Our Older Faces
A professional photographer once told me, “Every time I photograph an older woman she says, “Make me look 20 years younger.” I incredulously responded, “Every time?” ‘Yes, every time,” he replied. What a sorry state for aging women! How can we enjoy old age if we hate the faces that accompany it? I realize not every older [...]
Pat Taub
Popular WOW Posts in 2019
For my end-of-the-year post I thought it would be fun to share some of 2019’s more popular WOW posts. These essays offer tips for happy solo living, a meaningful retirement, loving your aging body, fighting off political despair and becoming a badass older woman. LET’S GET STARTED: “How to be a Happy Older Woman” http://wowblog.me/how-to-be-a-happy-older-woman [...]
Pat Taub
The Trap of Being a Strong Woman
A neighbor, an elderly woman, who’s been through the mill caring for a husband with Alzheimer’s is referred to as a “strong woman.” I know several Maine women, well into their ‘70’s and ‘80’s, who have carved out self-sufficient rural lifestyles, including chopping their own wood. They too are called “strong women.” [...]
Pat Taub
Goodbye Susan, Hello Lisa!
Lisa Savage, 62, a public school teacher from Skowhegan, Maine had been contemplating her upcoming retirement in the standard ways–a chance to travel, take up a new interest, and more time with the grandkids–when she received phone calls from several Green Party activists asking her to consider a run for the US Senate in 2020 against [...]
Pat Taub