WOMEN OVER 40 ROCK!

by Adrienne Schoenfeld

Dear Diary,

I’d like to see you top MY day. There we were.. my MIL Ru and I sitting in the car on our way to the oral surgeons office for our (eyes looking at spot on the ceiling) unscheduled BOTOX session. Oh COME ON you guys! What would’ve you HAD me tell her? Here Ru. Now we’re going to stick you on this really cozy couch that only RESEMBLES a cosmetic surgery lounge but in fact is a place that you’ll have a needle the size of someones something (nothing nothing) injected into your facial.. FACE.

You know darn well that if YOUR MIL had dementia and she had this craggy rotten half a tooth waiting to get extracted— you would SO tell her she was going in to have some work on her lip lines with some dramatic plumping of the Nasolabial fold area, followed by a fair amount of swell.. ummmm enhancement to the right side of her mouth region. Sorry.. there has to be some big pouty lips associated with the procedure or No. Can. Do.

In order to pull this off I’m obligated by chapter three, section five of the full disclosure to “old persons with cognitive impairment who will be pissed if they find out the truth” act, to reveal that the “procedure” might have some slight discomfort and residual numbness and drooling associated with it. But who cares right? Bah.

Ru.. d-u-d-e. EVERYONE slobbers up at your place. Who the HALLE’S gonna notice if you’ve joined right in for the day? I promise.. it will be so worth it (wink).

“But why are you telling me they’re only doing the RIGHT side of my lips?”Ah yes Ru.. that is the million dollar question isn’t it. Why?

“BECAUSE.”

“Yeah..?”

“Because— EVERYONE’S wearing them that way. It’s like a come-hither smirky trout pout thing. Men LOVE it.”

The thing is.. we couldn’t HELP but be put completely at ease, as we walked into the office because A. It was a luxurious office and B. we were encouraged to help ourselves to these yummy peppermint pillow candies sitting on the receptionists counter. UUURKKKK. Wait. A thought doth cometh. Isn’t it kind of o-d-d that a dentist or for that matter a PLASTIC SURGEON would offer sugar laden treats to his victims before he pulls out there TEETH? Except maybe if that’s all part of the BIGGER PLAN. Odd that the dentist would frown on my perfectly sound idea to hide in granny’s bedroom and scream her name and when she shuffled to her room (eventually) I’d jump out of my hiding place causing her to turn around, jumping real high (ankle height) thus smacking her face on my head and OUT would fall the tooth. We’ve done it like a HUNDRED times people.. it’s not THAT big of a deal. But THEN someone (eyes narrowing) might not be able to afford pepp-er-mint pil-lo-ws.

My MIL has a habit of becoming observant (for lack of a better word) at all the wrong times. Like when she senses I’m messing with her mind more then I usually would. Could it be possible that because all the OTHER pathways in her brain have “road closed” signs on them that suddenly the part responsible for smelling.. DECEIT— ramps up a notch? Or perhaps it’s the antiseptic saturated sponge being swabbed around her gum area while her calm and rock like DIL shrieks, “If it looks like she’s in any kind of pain in the slightest.. you have my permission to knock her senseless. Got that.” Yup. That could’ve tipped her off.

“Do you have something to give her?” asks my dear Ru as she gazed compassionately upon her OUTSTANDING shiny example of advocacy, hiding her face in her sweaty hands and rocking back and forth mumbling.. urrrrr. Let’s see if I can even remember what I was blubbering about. Oh yeah.

1. Did you stab her with the thing yet?

2. Is she gushing blood?

3. OH GAWD THE PAIN. THE PAIN.

Apparently I wasn’t NEEDED in the room for comfort measures and shortly after my outburst was hastily dismissed. WHATEVAH. I’m just going to sit in the fancy shmancy living room (that I paid for) and eat tons of candy— while tweeting all kinds of updates to my dear followers who will totally lend waves of support and prayers for my.. SELF.

Not five minutes had passed.. when the dental hygienist comes marching in to inform me of my patients stats.

“So. Is she.. alivvvvvve? Because she would so kill me if she had to go through all of this for NOTHING.”
Don’t you hate when people in the KNOW, just figure you have some sort of.. intellect? It’s not my fault Ru has all her teeth and we’ve never had to do this before. The girl ushers me back to the exam room and I swear to you— all I could see were two stabby furious eyes and these mega HUMONGO lips (on the right side) protruding out of my MILS face.

“Angelina? Is that youuuu? Oh my heavens (slaps self’s cheek). I forgot. You were gonna have your tooth pulled today.”

Then for effect I add..

“remember?”

It was amazingly insightful thinking on my part to clean out the entire stash of Earl Grey and Chai tea bags from the “free cookies and tea” room at Happy Daze Assisted Living. Because according to an authority named Selma.. who also happens to live on the ROAM (Random Occasional Accidental Memory) floor with Ru and is adamant that she was THE dental hygienist behind George Washington’s wooden bridge work. I know..right. She says— what you want to do is shove one of these puppies into Ru’s rather large gaping head gaping HOLE to help ease the pain and swelling. Naturally.. if one is to suck on a tea bag you want to choose your flavor. So.. I begin to get my bags ready by wetting them both and presenting Ru with the option.

“I don’t WANT tea right now. I want to go to my hospital room and lie down. Doctor.. can you DOOOOOO something?”

“Now Ru.. Selma says this will help you.” (Prying miffed Ru’s lips apart)

“Utts ELMA ot ewww ewww iff it?”

“Shhhhh. Don’t talk. Here.. let’s give you CHAI (shoves wadded up tea bag in). No? You don’t like Chai?

Here’s the Earl Grey option.”

Yeah. Ru had quite the look going on as we returned to the halls of ROAM trying our best not to careen into Beth the Bawler who was dragging an eighty pound mahogany dining room chair behind her into oncoming hallway traffic. Um. Beth. Entertaining? Just be careful when you move the table sweetie.. wouldn’t want anyone to trip over it. Beth looks up at me.. then shifts her attention to Ru and snidely remarks, “Maybe she’d like a cup of WATER to go with her Earl grey? Ever think of that? Excuse me ma’am.. She’s gagging.”

What’s the matter with Earl Grey Ru? I thought you liked it?

“Yeah. But not to CHEW on.”

So I did what any compassionate member of My Sandwich Generation WOULD do. I shoved the Chai one in instead and took my drooling MIL to show off her pouty lip look at lunch.

Another HOT look.. off the runways of ROAM

-A

Copyright © 2009-2010 My Sandwich Generation. All rights reserved.

Adrienne Schoenfeld is CSE-Chief Sandwich Educator for MY SANDWICH GENERATION.COM Writing and speaking on preparing the most fulfilling (and palatable) multi-generational “sandwich” for everyone who comes to the table. As a mom of two Nerf Gun wielding Lego building, non-homework doing young boys on the lower half of her sandwich and sitting on her face (upper slice)..the two “grannies”–recipient’s of her eldercare. Her motto: BE PREPARED! A more delicious and enriching mouthful awaits.

Presented by In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment website for women over 40

by Jan Bina

How many of us could look objectively and unflinchingly at the romance or lack of it in our parent’s lives?  Cindy Kleine has and the end result is a fascinating documentary about her parents called, “Phyllis and Harold”.   It has been called “A Masterpiece”, “Shocking and Riveting”, “A fine and devastating film”, respectively by Ken Burns, Mike Nichols and Henry Jaglom.

The footage is extraordinary.  The story pivots on a secret held by one of her parents for 59 years of marriage.  As the secret is revealed we see all the collateral damage it caused.   Through interviews with her parents, both singly and together, she has amassed funny, poignant and contradictory recollections and revelations.   She artfully combined the current footage with old black and white footage (taken by Phyllis’s father) of her parents in their youth.  She was also able to blend in slides chronicling family events selected from thousands of photos taken by Harold over a life-time.  Cindy added some animated footage, bringing a whimsical touch to certain passages.   The finished product is visually entertaining and extremely compelling not only because of the subject matter but also because her parents are interesting people, who have a story to tell.  Phyllis in particular could have been an actress and lights up when the camera is on her.

Cindy Kleine was our guest on the February 24^th Tomatoes in the Trenches blog talk radio show.   This February 24^th show is archived at http://www.inthetrenchesproductions.com as well as at http://www.tomatoesinthetrenches.com.  Listen in and hear just how this extraordinary project came together.  It is truly a riveting interview.  As you listen in you may wonder whether it’s time to get out the video camera and record your parents’ story.   What you discover may surprise you.

“Phyllis and Harold” is currently playing in the New York metropolitan area and will open in the Los Angeles area in April, playing at the Laemmle Theatres.  To learn more about the film check out the website: http://www.phyllisandharold.com.

Jan Bina is a typical LA hyphenate– actor-writer-tortoise feeder-teacher-sloppy homemaker-weed puller-treadmill walker-fretful mother-daydreamer and producer for In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment website for women over 40 on the web.

by Robin Gorman Newman

This past weekend was a whirlwind of activity. All good though, so I’m grateful.

My nephew had a Bar Mitzvah. Saturday was the temple service, and Sunday night was the reception. Sunday was also Seth’s 7th birthday party…in the afternoon…so we had a very quick, if not somewhat hectic, turnaround from one event to the other. I went from flats to heels, pantyhose, and formal attire almost instantly. While it felt a bit overwhelming, at the end of the day, it turned out to be very special and I look back with fond memories.

What stuck out for me the most was the notion of the passage of time. We had 16 children, including my son, at his party, and a few I hadn’t seen in some time. One boy, in particular, I didn’t even recognize because he looked so like a big boy now. His hair was slicked back, and he had a maturity in this face (at age 7) that I had yet to see. Even a girl, who Seth has referred to as his girlfriend since kindergarten, looked taller and more mature.

Then we headed over to the Bar Mitzvah, which was quite a swanky shindig. Unlike any other I’d ever attended. Not a beat was missed….everything was offered from an extensive gaming area for the kids to comfy slippers for the female guests upon departure. I would have loved to ditch my heels during the affair and wear them then. Would have come in handy.

A highlight of the affair for me was a slide presentation of the Bar Mitzvah boy’s first 13 years of life. He has two brothers. One younger, one older. His maternal grandma recently passed away. And, all were shown. It was so well done. They shared all kinds of moments….some special….some everyday….but all heartfelt, capturing the essence of family and depicting how fast time goes. You see it in the growth of a child from a baby to proud Bar Mitzvah boy.

He did his family and all who witnessed proud. And, if for a moment, it led others, like myself, to pause and take stock of who is in our lives who we love and how we spend time with them, then it’s all the more poignant. And, also to value our children at every phase of their lives since youth is indeed precious and fleeting.

Robin Gorman Newman
Author/Speaker/Relationship Coach
www.LoveCoach.com
Robin wears many hats. She is the author of “How to Meet a Mensch in New York” and “How to Marry a Mensch”, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Day New York, Live at Five, CNN, among others. She has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and on radio shows worldwide as a relationship expert. She works as The Love Coach, and offers private consults and workshops to singles, helping them lead active social lives. She is also the founder of www.MotherhoodLater.com, a resource/community for those parenting later in life. Robin holds an MBA in Marketing and is a seasoned publicist and a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Presented by In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment website for women over 40

by Debbie Zipp

Every so often when you are feeling down someone says something at just the right moment that makes your heart and your spirit swell with insight and new hope. Today was that day. At 57 I am trying my darndest to come to terms with how my body and my face look now. My main complaint is my abdomen. Gaining 50 lbs with each pregnancy both ending in C-sections and menopause and age has not been kind to me. Shopping is a fruitless experience because no one seems to design or carry clothes for anyone beyond a size 6. And it seems impossible it to loose weight at this age and no matter how many sit ups we do we can’t seem to flatten that stomach or get rid of the flapping underarms even if we are thin or lift weights. And of course even if we were thin and young we would still find something to dislike about ourselves. We are just never satisfied with who we are I suppose. BUT today someone took away all my feelings of inadequacy.

Today my spirits were uplifted by an unlikely source…a fashion designer. I repeat, a fashion designer made me feel better about myself without dressing me. But this is a fashion designer with a different sensibility. Exquisite fashion designer Gabriella Carlson was our guest today on our Tomatoes In the Trenches Blog Talk Radio Show and she was a true delight. I am feeling so much better about myself right now I can’t put it into words. Gabrielle Carlson is a wonderful fashion designer who designs for women over 40, of ALL sizes and shapes…. She’s on a mission to create clothes for real women and to make every woman, no matter what age, shape or size, feel beautiful. To put it in Gab’s words, if more designers created clothes for real women instead of stick thin models, you’d see very different clothes.

Even though she has dressed such celebrities as Sharon Stone, Diana Ross, Meryl Streep, Gwyneth Paltrow, Reba McIntire, Queen Latifa, Isabella Rosalini, Susan Lucci, and garnered the covers of top fashion magazines with her designs she finds dressing women like you and me the most rewarding. WOW!

Gabriella refers to herself as an over 40 woman who’s “blooming” instead of deteriorating as I have been feeling. Little gems like that are sprinkled throughout the show. Her inner joy about who she is now and what she does is contagious. So if you are feeling down about yourself listen to this Tomatoes In the Trenches show. for a true pick me up. She inspires us to celebrate all us mature gorgeous gals who come in all sizes and shapes.

And check out Gabriella Carlson’s designs and to find out more about her and her studio at http://www.gabriellecarlson.com/

Debbie Zipp, for In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment website for women over 40

by Ann Pietrangelo

Multiple sclerosis. Is that the disease that puts you in a wheelchair or leads to a nursing home? Montel Williams… Richard Pryor… Annette Funicello… all names associated with MS, and isn’t there a mountain climber or two that have it?

Confused? You are not alone. That’s why the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation recognizes March as National MS Education & Awareness Month, and the National MS Society designated March 8-14 as MS Awareness Week.

Throughout the month of March, I will offer glimpses into my own life with MS on Care2 Healthy & Green Living. While there is no such thing as a typical case, those who are familiar with MS will nod in recognition. If you are not familiar with MS, please allow us a few moments of your time during MS Education and Awareness Month, and visit Care2 Causes for more information in the weeks to come.

My story starts with MS: A Diagnosis Odyssey: It began with a seemingly benign but persistent tingly feeling in my upper right arm. It was the kind of thing you tend to dismiss and certainly not the kind of thing that makes you rush out to see a doctor. Little did I know what was to come.

Get the who, what, where, when, why, and how of MS in MS: Who Gets It and Why

Multiple Sclerosis Info on the Web: Multiple sclerosis information on the web… on Twitter… on Facebook… oh my! When newly diagnosed with something like multiple sclerosis, your first task is to get educated so that you can become your own best advocate. We truly do live in the information age and the internet can be a wonderfully informative source once you weed out the clutter.

All my previous posts from Care2 Living with MS can be accessed HERE. If you are so inclined, please help educate others by sharing these posts… and you can get my updates on Twitter @AnnPietrangelo. Thank you for your support of people with multiple sclerosis.

Additional health resources:

Health Care Self-Advocacy: Be the Squeaky Wheel: It’s your body, and no one has more incentive to take care of it than you do. You can’t depend on anyone else to take the reins when it comes to your health. The responsibility lies with you. Don’t be a passive patient; be a squeaky wheel.

Tools to Keep Track of Health Care Policy and Reform: Staying current with health care legislation is an overwhelming task. Rules and regulations vary from state to state and family to family, depending on individual circumstances. When it comes to laws that affect your health and well-being, leave no stone unturned. Never assume that what you’ve heard is all there is. If you have questions about health care policy or reform, check with multiple reliable sources.

Guide to Rights under Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, state and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications.

Ann Pietrangelo is a Virginia-based freelance writer for WebCamp One, LLC. She is a featured blogger on Care2.com’s Causes Blog as well as Care2’s Living with MS Blog. For more information, visit AnnPietrangelo.com.

Presented by In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment website for women over 40

by Judith Drake

Do you find that you’re having to turn the TV up more often?  Feel that the actors in movies frequently indulge in mumbling?  Think fellow workers or party-goers refuse to speak up or enunciate properly

If so, then I suggest you pick up the March edition of MORE magazine and check out the ‘Body and Mind’ article: “Life In The ‘What’d You Say?’ Lane”.

It tells us that a new study from the nonprofit EAR Foundation found that people ages 40 to 59 are losing their hearing at faster rates than previous generations, so you aren’t alone!  And this article also gives reasons why people, especially women, get caught up in denial and refuse to get checkups.  One reason?  Hearing aids!  But guess what?  They aren’t your grandmas’ hearing aids anymore, as you can read about in said article.

Other reasons for checking up on that slight hearing loss you’re experiencing?  It tells of many physical problems hearing loss can signal.  And it also gives steps we can take to prevent further impairment, along with the many reasons other than physical ones why we should see a doc as soon as hearing loss begins, one of which is the fact that people with untreated hearing loss make $23,000 less annually in their jobs than normal hearing people do.

So if you’re experiencing hearing difficulties, I’ll speak up: GO GET THIS MARCH EDITION OF MORE MAGAZINE AND READ THE ARTICLE.

Judith CAN-YOU-HEAR-ME-NOW Drake

Judith Well-Over-60-&-Lovin’-It Drake has been in the ‘Show Biz’ for 45 years, crossing paths with the likes of Mary Martin, Betty Grable, Cher & Calista Flockhart along the way, been a wife to Mr. Whipple and screamed for T-Mobile. Her priority now is as a producer with In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment network for women over 40 on the web.

by Robin Gorman Newman

My son turned 7 this week. Time sure flies.

I went to school on his birthday to celebrate with his first grade classmates. It was very sweet. I brought ice cream cups, juice and Oreos. My mother in law came as well, and we read books to the kids. In honor of Seth, we chose two fire truck-theme stories, and he couldn’t be happier.

We took photos with other students and the teachers, and I whipped out my new handy Flip camcorder to give it a try.

We hung up decorations at home and went out to dinner, where he ordered a decadent chocolate mousse dessert, and we sung to him as he blew out the candle.

I asked him the day after how it felt to be 7, and he thought about it for a second, and said “good.” It made me smile.

This weekend is his birthday party, and we’re looking forward to celebrating with friends. While I find party planning a bit stressful…so many details….especially since I was organizing the class visit as well….it’s great to have a happy occasion to celebrate.

My last blog related to my ailing senior dad, and his return to the hospital is looming in my mind. So, this was a welcome, positive break. And, he’ll be coming to Seth’s party Sunday, and hopefully, even if for a short while, he can let go of his constant downbeat health-related thoughts. I was disappointed that he didn’t call Seth on his birthday, but I know he’s mentally caught up in his health issues, as his stent procedure is this coming Wednesday. He can’t get it done fast enough, and I will once again be on edge.

It was actually nicer than I expected to have my mother in law come to Seth’s class. She is a hugely judgmental person, and isn’t always easy to be around in that regard. My husband and his brother were pleasantly surprised to hear that she read a book to the kids. I told him that I kinda didn’t give her a choice. I handed her the book, and said “why don’t you read this next book.” And, she rose to the occasion, and I actually think she enjoyed the interaction with the children. For a fleeting moment, I found myself picturing her reading to my husband when he was Seth’s age, assuming she did that. And, I wondered if it took her back to that place too?! Her son, my husband, will forever be her baby, as will Seth for me, even though he’s growing up fast.

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY Seth! We love you high as the sky sweetie!!

Robin Gorman Newman
Author/Speaker/Relationship Coach
www.LoveCoach.com
Robin wears many hats. She is the author of “How to Meet a Mensch in New York” and “How to Marry a Mensch”, and has been seen on The Today Show, Good Day New York, Live at Five, CNN, among others. She has been featured in newspapers, magazines, and on radio shows worldwide as a relationship expert. She works as The Love Coach, and offers private consults and workshops to singles, helping them lead active social lives. She is also the founder of www.MotherhoodLater.com, a resource/community for those parenting later in life. Robin holds an MBA in Marketing and is a seasoned publicist and a member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.

Presented by In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment website for women over 40

by Judith Drake

A yearly treat!  The AARP, being intelligent and able to appreciate true talent, has put forth its annual appreciation of older actors and movies for..guess what?  Grownups!!

It’s Movies For Grownups Awards is in the current issue, the March/April edition of their magazine.

Best movie?  Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus”, starring the wonderful Morgan Freeman as Mandela, who uses rugby to help unite his splintered country.  And among the movies also loved by the judges: “Julie & Julia”, “Crazy Heart”, “Up In The Air”… some lovely actors over the ripe old age of 40 in those… and lovely stories not meant for 5 year olds, too!

Best Actress?  Helen Mirren from “The Last Station”.  LOVE Helen Mirren!!!  She turns every film she’s in into a winner if you ask me, and she was indeed great in this one.  Others in the mix: Ellen Burstyn, “Lovely, Still” and of course, Meryl Streep for both her movies this year, “J & J” and “It’s Complicated”.  I haven’t seen Burstyn’s yet, but can’t wait, and of course Ms. Streep was fantastic in both films… and I’m seeing both again, so there!

Best director?  Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”!  Yes!!!!  I am hoping this is a precursor to the Academy Awards… she deserves to be the first woman to receive an Oscar for directing!

I was also pleased with their Best Comedy award to “It’s Complicated”, written and directed by Nancy Meyers.  I’ve worked with her twice and couldn’t be happier.  She deserves it!

Okay, okay, I’ll stop gushing now… but what can I say?  It’s just so great to see older actors and directors appreciated, along with movies made for real grownups.  I just love it every year!  If you want to see the rest of these great awards you can go to: www.aarpmagazine.org/moviesforgrownups And then you can go see them all!!!

Judith Grownup-And-Proud-Of-It Drake

Judith Well-Over-60-&-Lovin’-It Drake has been in the ‘Show Biz’ for 45 years, crossing paths with the likes of Mary Martin, Betty Grable, Cher & Calista Flockhart along the way, been a wife to Mr. Whipple and screamed for T-Mobile. Her priority now is as a producer with In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment network for women over 40 on the web.

by Debbie Zipp

Not only is her film “The Hurt Locker” stunning and well deserved of an Oscar here are a few more reasons to root for Kathryn Bigelow at the Oscars or any women behind the camera.

USC Annenberg Study Shows Recent Top Films Lack Females on Screen and Behind Camera
Los Angeles–February 23, 2010. A recent study of the 100 top-grossing films of 2007 by the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism found that females continue to be a large minority both on the screen and behind the camera. However, when women are decision-makers behind the scenes, the number of female characters in a film increases.

The research, led by communication professor Stacy L. Smith and her team, showed that only 29.9 percent of the 4,379 speaking characters identified in the films were female, while 83 percent of all directors, writers and producers were male. Smith said Hollywood has been male-dominated for decades, and the recent data show not much has changed. Top-100 films were based on cumulative box office revenue as compiled by Nielsen EDI Film Source.

“Our findings show a representational roadblock for females in film,” Smith said. “They do not occupy ‘half of the cinematic sky’ – far from it. There is a dearth of females working in the movie industry no matter which way you look at the data.”

The study showed the number of female actors grows when women have influential roles in the production of a movie as writers, directors and producers.

Smith said the most powerful way to increase the number of female actors may be to increase the number of women who direct or co-direct movies. The number of female actors in movies with at least one female director rose from 29.3 percent to 44.6 percent when compared to movies with only a male director. She said those findings should be interpreted with caution because only three of the top 100 films in 2007 had a female director, however, a previous study by Smith and her research team on Academy Award-nominated films from 1977 to 2006 in the Best Picture category showed similar results.

“The encouraging finding from this report is that women behind the scenes matter,” Smith said. “The presence of women in these important gate-keeping positions was associated with increases in the number of girls or women on screen. We suspected this would be the case and the data confirmed our expectations.”

Movies with one or more female screenwriters had 34.9 percent female actors (compared to 28.1 percent with only male writers), while movies produced by one or more females had 30.8 percent female actors (26.4 percent with only male producers).

This year-long study was the first in an annual series funded by USC Annenberg to study race and gender in film.

“We’ve made it a priority at USC Annenberg to examine issues related to diversity,” USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III said. “It is vital for researchers such as Professor Smith to demonstrate through data what key industries are or aren’t doing well. This study illustrates the impact communication scholarship can have on issues of social importance. Our hope is that an open dialogue about lack of diversity in cinema will lead to a positive shift in the status quo.”

“These important findings provide valuable insights that we will utilize as we continue to engage content creators to improve gender representation and portrayals,” commented Geena Davis, founder, The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media.

“Future research should explore women’s experiences in film – both on-screen and behind the camera—as well as the relationship between the gender of studio executives and portrayals of character gender in cinematic content,” Smith said.

The complete research report can be found online at annenberg.usc.edu/genderinfilm

Debbie Zipp, for In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment website for women over 40

by Cassie Rohn

“We don’t like a rocka bama,” My 5 year old daughter randomly yells out as she is playing a game on the Wii Fit.

“What did you say?” I ask, as her distance run comes to an end.

“The President,” she states, giving me that look that only a little girl going on 16 can give. I could almost here the unstated “Duh!” (I can only imagine how much fun she’ll be when she is a teenager).

After some additional questioning I find out that this comment is the word on the playground at school. Apparently she and her fellow kindergarteners are not “down with” the current leader of our country.

I am not a “political person,” never have been. I have never really gotten involved in the debates either way. I will say that I come from a conservative background and married into a conservative family as well, but what I am about to state might surprise you: I personally take issue when anyone insults the President of the United States. It doesn’t matter who is in the office, Republican, Democrat or otherwise.

Now, I am not picking on my daughter & her tiny friends specifically, but her words reminded me of all the ugly comments that have been made over the past several years regarding Presidents in both parties. The bottom line for me is the missing respect for the office itself. Where is the basic respect for this leader who is trying to do a very tough job? This is a job that I, for one, would never covet.

Even if you don’t agree with all of the decisions that are made for our country, would you not be in complete and utter awe if the actual President of the United States paid you a personal visit; perhaps came to your house for dinner? Would you not be awestruck? I know I would be!

Now it is time for me to explain to my dear daughter a little bit about the importance of humility. We all have our right to disagree, but we need to maintain a balance between stating opinions and being disrespectful. For she is going to grow up to be a very strong woman in both mind and spirit and I know that one day she will expect to be treated with respect by others as well. As we all do.

Cassie Rohn, founder of Sexy Living Society, a community celebrating healthy, fit & sexy people in their 40’s, 50’s & 60’s living life to the fullest and those hoping to emulate them. “Living the Sexy Life….Are You Old Enough?” http://www.sexylivingsociety.com

Presented by In The Trenches Productions, the first entertainment website for women over 40