To understand where we are, we must remember where we were. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the "Hot 100" lists dominated magazines; actresses like Meryl Streep (who has always worked, but often complained of a lack of complex roles) famously noted that after 40, roles dried up "like a desert."

: Recent films like Babygirl (Nicole Kidman) and The Idea of You (Anne Hathaway) explore reversed traditional power dynamics and mature female desirability, a trend sometimes called "cougar-core". Challenges and Stereotypes