On my way to the beach last week, I stopped in a wine shop somewhere along the Jersey shore to pick up a bottle of red. I was eagerly anticipating evenings spent languishing on a deck with Eat, Pray, Love (my favorite book) in one hand and a spicy glass of Syrah in the other. Waves crashing in the background.
Three jovial, big bellied guys in their gray shirts boasting their fave sports teams argued over some upcoming game of which I knew nothing. And cared even less. I browsed the wine racks as the friendly debate grew louder in the background.
"You're crazy! He couldn't bring them to a win if you shot all the players on the other team and handed him the ball!"
"Well, they pay him a trillion dollars a year - that says he's a valuable player."
"No it doesn't. It just means they've got too much money on their hands!"
This went back and forth for several minutes until the conversation abruptly (and unexpectedly) turned to movies. Rather high brow movies for this particular crowd. Exposing all of my stereotypes here, I'm going to say I was shocked when they started bantering around award winners and much talked about international films. Stuff that swept through Cannes.
This was a conversation I could engage in, so never one to be shy, I jumped right in. The conversation took all sorts of strange twists and turns, finally landing us on Holocaust films for some reason.
And then someone mentioned "The Reader" (which I'm ashamed to admit I've yet to see). The three guys who would have looked far more at home in a beer store than a wine store, expounded on the intricate film making details the director brought to the project. They discussed the sensitive subject matter and Kate 's "amazing performance."
And then, out of nowhere, one of the men said, "She did a nude scene in that film, you know." There was an air of disbelief in his voice. Another man chimed in. "I know! That surprised me."
At this point I was confused. Film stars often strip down for roles, even if it doesn't make much sense. Gratuitous nudity in Hollywood annoys me at times.
Then the third man, the most rotund of the group made it very clear what all the disbelief was about: "This is probably her last nude scene. She's too old for that stuff now."
My mouth fell open. I could not believe what I was hearing. Was this fat, nasty man (sorry, I'm pissed now) saying women over a certain age should never be caught naked? May I point out that he was middle aged and as I previously mentioned, lacked any form of sex appeal. His chances of seeing ANYONE naked seemed slim in my opinion.
The nerve!
The lovely Ms. Winslet is 34. I repeat, THIRTY-FOUR. I've got her by several years and just for the record, I look HOT naked. Yeah, I said it. Everything is exactly where it should be and standing at attention. On a size 6 frame. Hotness is not an age. Or a size, for that matter.
But for a moment, let's forgot how hot I am. And you are. Let's just look at the idea that men STILL, to this very day, judge us like apples in the market. Our value intrinsically tied to how "fresh" we are. Just picked is best. Anything past early puberty should retire to a field and die.
Is that why Hollywood usually pairs 50-year-old male actors with 23 year-old female actors? Please tell me you ladies are as appalled by the wine store conversation as I was...
