Ageism is the only kind of 'ism' left that is acceptable in the society, these were sentiments shared by American singer Madonna.
This goes to show the complicated maze of this topic and just how deeply-seated its roots are sunk beneath the grounds of womanhood.
There is this one fine evening when I had boarded a matatu from town and things appeared peaceful and tranquil until hell unraveled it's contents when the conductor happened to refer to a middle-aged woman sitting next to me in a sheng term, that when loosely used refers to an elderly woman.
"Mathe, leta pesa yako," said the conductor.
The woman retorted back in anger "Mimi ni mama yako?", meaning, am I your mother?
This incident got me thinking about this women age paradigm. Age for women is sought of a Pandora's box, it comes with lots of consequences when exposed.
Actually, simply put, age shares the same magnetic pole with women's tongue, always repelling. Even when exposed it comes with a massive standard deviation.
Here are some of the reasons why that lady nearly bit off your head for asking her age;
1. Death scare
By this, I mean both physical death and social death. As you age, that applies to everyone, you near your grave. Each passing second, minute, hour and day is a countdown to your demise (I'll let you take that in slowly). Also, your body doesn't appear or function as good as it did before. These scares women a lot and the age lie is just a facade that they angle on in hopes of remaining sane.
2. An evasion of judgment
Age comes with a lot of baggage. Once you take someone's age into perspective then your whole view on them shifts as you make assumptions on their personality, their appearance, even the liberty that you showed around them before this revelation seems to fizzle out. To avoid societal pressure and judgment, women tend to lower their age and you can rest assured that this works perfectly.
3. Age is not just but a number
Truth be told, in any real sphere of existence, age matters a lot across the board. Whether it is in a relationship, politics, and leadership, employment and promotions, social circles and friendships. All these key areas of our lives are affected by our age. Age just like tribe, race, religion, gender, and sexuality, has become a key identifier in today's society. That comes with the baggage of prejudice "You should act your age!".
4. Innocence, fecundity, and beauty
Men tend to view young women as beautiful and unscathed (sexually-speaking). They offer youth and are the custodians of beauty. Older women tend to scare men off due to the consequences of the evidence of time having flailed their bodies and worn down their "assets". Younger women offer the essence of womanhood as they encompass the ability to bring forth new life and have the aura of fertility and sexual freshness.
Overall, just like tribe, race, religion, gender, and sexuality. Age does not really matter, but everyone gets to that realization at their own time.
Stay Forever Young!