Only one in four films passes the Ageless Test , which requires at least one female character over 50 who is essential to the plot and not reduced to a stereotype. 3. Stereotypes and the "Narrative of Decline"
In 2025, Demi Moore won her first Golden Globe at 62 and received an Oscar nomination for The Substance , a film that directly critiques ageism. File: Milfy_City-0.71b.pc.uncensored.zip ...
Recent years have seen high-profile triumphs that suggest a "sea change" in Hollywood: Only one in four films passes the Ageless
A global study of top-grossing films found that women over 50 made up only 25.3% of characters in their age bracket and were four times more likely than men to be portrayed as senile or physically feeble. Recent years have seen high-profile triumphs that suggest
Female characters over 40 in film dropped from 20% in 2015 to just 14% by 2022. While men’s roles often hold steady or increase in their 40s, women face a steep decline; 41% of female characters are in their 30s, but only 16% are in their 40s.
Despite these "ripples of change," comprehensive studies show that roles for women over 40 are actually declining:
Older women have recently dominated major categories. Jean Smart (74) and Jamie Lee Curtis (66) are among several mature actresses who have recently swept the Emmys.