I'm not really into celebrity news, but I occasionally enjoy reading liz smith's gossip column because she is so delightfully bitchy. the positive side about getting older, for women, is that if you're intelligent and clear-minded, you become like a force of nature as you age. you are powerful, you're bitchy, you know what you're talking about, people look up to you. that's how I hope to be when I'm old. I want to be like a wonderfully witchy, cackling crone who people don't know whether to fear, admire or both. (none of this implant or face-lift bullshit for me ... sad attempts to cling to youth that ultimately make one look like a sideshow freak and advertise to the world that you have no real sense of self.)
there was an older woman I used to work with who had many elements of this wise-woman ideal. she was very sharp and always said what was on her mind, and didn't give a damn what anyone else thought. I enjoyed all of those aspects of her personality. however, there was a big flaw: she often used her power to hurt people. she gossiped viciously, said mean things about people, stabbed colleagues in the back and hurt their careers.
I am not going to be like this when I am old. I am going to be kind to people and help them. I will use my wisdom for good, not evil.