In a world where beauty and youth are idolized, it makes one question whether there really is a place for women over 40 in the entertainment industry.
Ten years into her career, Macy Gray found herself a free agent. She had sold 15 million albums world-wide, scored two Grammy Awards as well as two MTV awards, but at 40 years-old the acclaimed singer found that her age rather than her talent was being put into question.
In a recent article penned for the Huffington Post, the raspy voiced songstress discusses her on-going battle with age discrimination and why the entertainment industry should reconsider what it means to be young.
GRAY ON THE FIGHT OF FORTY
“‘I don’t know how to get a 40-year-old woman on the radio. If she was 20, 25 then this record would be incredible.’ This quote comes from a powerful record label executive, just before she said no to signing me for my fifth album. And who would fault her? Everybody knows that a 40-year-old female recording artist is ‘geriatric.’ While a 46-year-old president is the ‘new kid on the block,’ a singer over 30 is just a few songs away from the nursing home of music.”
GRAY ON YOUTH IN A BOTTLE
“The obvious remedies: Age defying crème, botox, face lifts, brow lifts, hair dye, Perricone Promises, super foods and denial. Lying about our age was once a quick fix, but Wikipedia has ruined that for everybody. Cosmetic touch-ups and diet discipline may take ten years off, but how do you go ten years back? How do you sing songs that are relevant to teenagers and who are you fooling if you try?”
GRAY ON BEING YOUNG AT HEART
“The truth is that as a mother of three teenagers, I can tell you that the music industry drastically underestimates the souls of the young. And that there are over 40 million women, in the United States alone, in their 30s, 40s and beyond, that are starving to be musically inspired and lyrically represented. While the fans miss out on great music because of age discrimination, there is still BEAUTY IN THE WORLD.”