Real versus Reel World:

Abstract

Curiosity about whether the phenomenon of three actresses aged 60 or over winning the Academy award for Best Actress in the 1980s represented a new trend or was rather a random occurence prompted this paper. Had changing demographics and the new psychology of women impacted the near invisibility of "older" women in Americanfilm and the stereotypical roles of nag, hag, or poor old thing and family martyr? The sample is comprised of 1,169 actresses and actors nominated in four acting categories (Best Actress/Actor, Best Supporting Actress/Actor) for Oscars from 1927-1928 through 1990. Ages of Academy Award nominees were chosen for the study because they offer a finite sampling of performances from "prestigious" films over the last 63 years and provide an accessible data base. Among the significant results are: women over the age of 39 have accounted for only 27% of winners for Best Actress since 1927, whereas men in the same age category accounted for 67% of the Best Actor awards. On the silver screen, a woman is "older" by the time she is 35. Her career ends as his career begins. To what extent does this reflect the real world and provide positive images for women as they age?

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