“Aging gracefully”
acrylic on collage of recycled materials on unmounted canvas panel
72”x36”
Currently NFS
On a sunny day, in a colorful environment, a woman over 60 years old is represented, happy, proud, victorious and energetic. She’s posed by the pool, with a weight in her left hand, in the middle of her exercise routine. She has wrinkles, but her body is muscular, her hair is perfect and she seems to be enjoying herself immensely, which contrasts clearly with the women depicted in her bathing suit. We see a woman wearing a long black dress and a white lace fanchon day cap. She’s seated, motionless in a gray room, not engaged in any action or with anyone; it's called Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 by James Abbott McNeill Whistler. Allegedly, Whistler originally envisioned painting the model standing up. However, the model who was supposed to come that day canceled, and the artist asked his mother to take her place. Whistler's mother was too uncomfortable to pose standing for an extended period and asked to be seated.
“With the progress of medicine and science, the quality of life after a certain age has changed drastically in the last century, and according to the National Institute of Health, some of the most essential factors to aging well are within our control. “To prolong your youth, make an effort to maintain a target blood pressure, lower your cholesterol, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, drink alcohol in moderation, and avoid smoking.”
But that does not answer women’s question on how to reinvent themselves at over 50, when you are in good health and you no longer have to take care of children. In a world still organized around men, women being under-represented in decision-making positions, but with the retirement age being always pushed back, how can women (re)start a career?
During their lives, women save less money each month and are less self-assured about managing their finances. They also save money for a shorter period of time due to gaps used to establish families or care for sick relatives. But worldwide women live about 7 years longer than men which means that the gender pay gap becomes a pension gap during which women will live alone in retirement without anyone to split costs with while having to spend more on healthcare. Around the world, women often have pension balances that are 30-40% lower than those of men making their financial situation extremely precarious.
Bathing suit: James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1, 1871 (details)