http://www.timegoesby.net/

“As the publicity machine that propelled Sex and The Seasoned Woman onto The New York Times best-seller list at 14th place last Sunday continues to surge forward, it becomes more disturbing. God knows it’s not that I’m against sex at any adult age, or that I think elder sex shouldn’t be spoken of. And if some women need a nudge to enjoy sex in their old age by reading about other women’s sexual experiences, where’s the harm?”

I’ve got Ronni Bennett’s blog Time Goes By listed above because…well, because when I heard about her topic–aging, ageism, etc–it was the first public voice I’d read by one of my cohort. Mostly the blogs I read are written by 30-something mothers who are reformed Mormons. I think I have a couple of 30-something mothers who are Protestant and maybe one Jew. But someone in my age group–halleluyah!

So I’m really bummed that I so disagree with her post today about Gail Sheehey’s book. I haven’t read the book, so maybe it would annoy me too. (Actually, I only made it to the Catch-30 chapter of Passages, but then I was 30-something at the time and who cared what happened to people if they lived past that). The gist of TGB’s post today was that this emphasis on older women’s sexuality is (a) a marketing ploy, and (b) a devisive measure by Those Same Feminists who made mothers feel guilty for wanting to stay at home. Blah blah blah–you know that whole argument. So here’s what I think: women, be they feminist or not, should not be dumping on each other. The psychologist in me wants to make a comment about unexamined anger and the source of TGB’s pique–but ….

My take on the topic of Sex and The Seasoned Woman–as a seasoned feminist!–is…wow! I am living in exactly the right moment. Instead of having to battle images of dotty old womanhood, I get to be part–once again–of the New In Group!