Sotto's interpretive comment is what makes this site important to me.

If appended to a hidden comment, does it exist in the rest of the site?

Sotto's comments should be diaried if they are hidden.

but I'm not sure that younger women actually suffer less.  If they fit the sterotype of what is 'sexy' (ie. rail thin, plastered with make-up, and dressed provocotively), then they may get a lot of male approval, but only in a sexual way.  For the millions who don't fit the sterotype (especially, God forbid, if they're overweight), they get denegrated just as much as middle-aged women.  I remember the first time I saw one of those 'No Fat Chicks' bumper stickers, and I was just blown away by the sheer arrogance of it--that some men still feel like it's a woman's obligation to decorate their world in exactly the way they want.  Far too many men still feel that way and refuse to take any woman seriously in a professional role.

A euphemism I now embrace. I know where you are coming from, noweasels. I had similar experiences in medical school, where women (and a black woman to boot), were not welcomed as we were thought to only practice for 5 - 10 years before getting married and having children. Sexism and racism were rampant in the 70's and '80's and I think those of us who survived are tough ol' gals. And Hillary is tough: you had to be when you entered the big boys' game.
The beginning of this election season, I was ready to vote for HRC. I thought that pundits vastly underestimated the desire of all women (red, blue, conservative liberal blue collar white collar and pink collar) to elect a woman president. I felt (and continue to feel) very uncomfortable with the mysogyny of some (see above), particularly Chris Matthews. That said, Hillary lost my vote by her behavior and the behavior of her surrogates (I'm talking about you, Bill). I wish HRC had just run her race, rather than resorting to low blows, fake tears and oh pity me. I think the "the boys are ganging up on me" made me lose it. Us tough old gals never whined about it, we stood there and said "Is that all you got". I resented that she felt she had to resort to some contrived feminine wiles, alternating between put upon victim and some three testicular, hyper androgynous freak.
I am still wanting and waiting to vote for a woman. Only this time, not this woman.

would you honor us by making it into one? What you say is SO true, and given the demographics of this blog, it would start a VERY interesting conversation here.

I agree with what you are saying, for the most part.  However, you have to admit that there is a flip side to this notion in our society that older women are supposed to just 'disappear'... and that is that a young woman with no personality, no intelligence, and nothing useful to say can still get plenty of attention and affirmation just for being attractive.  It is kind of like women emjoy this advantage over men until about age 30, and then it rapidly swings in the other direction from there.

turn this into a diary on how women are viewed. Thanks for your perception and insight ... from another older woman.