How Grace and Frankie gives meaningful screen-time to symbolically annihilated elders
'Grace and Frankie' is a sitcom which first aired in 2015 and stars Lily Tomlin, 79, as Frankie, and Jane Fonda, 80, as Grace. When the two women find out that their husbands are more than just partners in law, and are actually lovers, they find a strange common ground that they previously never had. Fonda and Tomlin, who play the two main characters in the show, give representation to a group that is often left out of the media: the elderly.
In the show, Grace and Frankie are not seen as feeble old women who, now that they are single, have nothing left to live for. Instead, they take on new careers, take time to practice their hobbies and strengthen their relationship with each other and other characters in the show.
"But ageism, unfortunately, is still alive and well. And one of the things that Lily and I are proud of — and want to continue with — is showing that you may be old, you may be in your third act, but you can still be vital and sexual and funny … that life isn’t over," Fonda said in an interview with the Washington Post.
The elderly demographic is generally symbolically annihilated by the media, meaning that they are often left out of being represented at all, and are stigmatized or stereotyped when they are represented. 'Grace and Frankie' not only gives this group some much-needed representation but also breaks the common stereotypes of elderly people being cranky, boring and far beyond the "good years."
In the show, Grace and Frankie are not seen as feeble old women who, now that they are single, have nothing left to live for. Instead, they take on new careers, take time to practice their hobbies and strengthen their relationship with each other and other characters in the show.
"But ageism, unfortunately, is still alive and well. And one of the things that Lily and I are proud of — and want to continue with — is showing that you may be old, you may be in your third act, but you can still be vital and sexual and funny … that life isn’t over," Fonda said in an interview with the Washington Post.
The elderly demographic is generally symbolically annihilated by the media, meaning that they are often left out of being represented at all, and are stigmatized or stereotyped when they are represented. 'Grace and Frankie' not only gives this group some much-needed representation but also breaks the common stereotypes of elderly people being cranky, boring and far beyond the "good years."
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