Gray Panthers, Cougars, and Silver Foxes

 

Mountain lion, Living Desert Zoo and Gardens, Carlsbad, NM. March 2010. Credit: Mzuriana

In addition to this, something that really cranks my case are headlines like these:

• Grandma battles bear!
• Superfit grandma ... 
• For 82 year-old Utah grandma, traveling to Rose Bowl Game ... 
• 100-year-old Tampa grandma sets Guinness World Record for weightlifting 

The implication of amazement (or amusement) that a person of age can do shit. Or that the output of their loins are the defining metric of their decades of life. 

I do not see such references to military generals of similar age, to presidents and prime ministers of similar age, of CEOs of similar age, of scientists of similar age, of news anchors of similar age. 

I don't think I will ever see this on my newsfeed: 

An Interview With 75-year-old Grandpa Arnold Schwarzenegger 

I am on board with these descriptors for elders: 

• Gray Panthers (although, sadly, this group with such a brilliant name seems largely toothless these days)
• Cougars
• Silver foxes  

Here is what I'd like to see normalized:

From the BBC: Can the 'Silver Fox' Outwit Vladimir Putin? 

Where the fox in question is a highly-skilled American diplomat, Wendy Sherman, who is a woman of age - and the BBC journalist doesn't even mention her age until the final third of the article! Nor does the author mention Mx Sherman's marital or parental status. It was the Iranians who bestowed the Silver Fox title on the ambassador, in admiration for and wariness of her negotiation skills.  

Gray panthers, cougars, and silver foxes are all actors. 

The names pair age with power; the names are not attendant modifiers, like granny or grandpa. 

Or as James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux would say: Gray panthers, cougars, and silver foxes are nouns and not adverbs.

Cheetah, Kansas City Zoo, Missouri. September 2018. Credit: Mzuriana