I was five and a half years old when Barbie was born. I didn’t really care then or ever, and I wasn’t going to watch the new movie starring the Plastic Princess.
But the other day, during the Sacramento Hearings on Aging, I was intrigued by Little Hoover Commission Chairman Pedro Nava mentioned the summer box office sensation.
This commission is an independent state oversight agency that examines how our tax dollars are spent, asking public officials and others to determine if enough progress has been made called a 10-year project. I was checking to see if I could see it. Aging Basic Plan.
Commenting on the difficult task of recruiting a workforce large enough to care for the state’s rapidly growing elderly population, Nava said society is doing a good job of demeaning and marginalizing the elderly. said to have been
The conversation then turned to pop culture. “I don’t know how many of you have seen the movie Barbie,” Nava said.
I wondered where he was going with it, but I was immediately reminded of Margot Robbie’s scene of a spotless, eternally youthful Barbie traveling from Barbieland to Los Angeles. She sat on a bench next to the gray-haired 91-year-old woman and was glued to her.
“You are so beautiful,” Barbie says to the woman.
All right, I thought so. Maybe you should watch that movie. It’s about something I’ve been writing about since I started my Golden State column six months ago. We all age, for better or worse. That’s fine, but generally speaking, it’s better than the alternatives.
To be honest, back in January, I was a little worried that writing about aging would feel limiting or even depressing.
Nothing of the sort happened.
Indeed, I have written about the pain of loss, financial hardship, and people struggling with chronic illness.
But speaking of “Barbie” messages, I was inspired to visit actress Mimi Rogers and hear her thoughts on aging naturally and gracefully. Watching 88-year-old Benny Wasserman hit a 90 mph fastball in the batting cage was thrilling. Ken and Audrey Mattlin, in their 80s, challenge stereotypes and embrace change with their robotic family in Bakersfield.
And Somkene Okwego, 23, a gerontology graduate at the University of Southern California and now aspiring to become a geriatric dentist, is hopeful that young people haven’t forgotten the old. She also said that with the world’s population over 65 about to outnumber those under 18, job opportunities in healthcare, technology, housing and transportation are abundant for millennials and Gen Xers. It reminds me of something.
Before attending Thursday’s hearing on aging, I searched my email for clues about seniors who continue to reinvent themselves. And I interviewed a woman who emailed me about a 71-year-old woman enjoying a violent affair with an 81-year-old man, having what she called “monkey sex.” So I started researching love between older people. ‘ We had a pleasant conversation, during which I didn’t ask for details.
And she’s not the only reader who wondered why I hadn’t touched on Twilight Romance yet. So, if I could find the right therapy and narrow down a trip to a Coachella Valley restaurant-cum-nightclub, I might be able to read it all here soon, but there’s no age limit. It is said that it does not interfere with
And as I was thinking about where I’ve been and where I’m going, the Little Hoover Commission was doing the same for the governor. Newsom’s Directive This is to prepare the state for 2030, when people over the age of 60 will make up a quarter of the state’s population.
The short answer is that things seem to be going pretty well by the middle of year three. One of the witnesses, a health policy consultant, testified that California’s efforts have served as a model for many of the 20 states with similar programs.
The problem is the scale of the project, with more than 100 initiatives and coordination with multiple state agencies, as well as counties and charities.
Fernando Torres Gill He holds a PhD from the UCLA Center for Aging Research and Policy and serves on the committee that oversees the implementation of the Master Plan. He testified at the hearing, expressing optimism and some concern about getting all the people needed to implement the plan. Sometimes, he said, it’s like “trying to collect kittens.”
Susan Demarois The Director of the Department of Aging told members that progress had been made towards each of the Master Plan’s five main goals of equal access to quality health care. Remedies against isolation, discrimination, abuse and neglect. 1 million new quality care jobs. and financial security for all seniors.
Early achievements include expanded Medi-Cal coverage, more than $1 billion invested in health workforce training, and nearly $1 billion allocated for low-income senior housing ( The main goal is to reverse the trend that the elderly are the earliest to reside (the portion of the homeless population is increasing).
“With great humility,” Demarois told commissioners, “we also recognize that our work is just beginning.”
Committee members had many questions.
how much money is spent? digital tracker Will there be a need to improve taxpayer tracking of progress? What if the nation runs out of cash? Will this plan continue after Newsom leaves office? Will there be enough legislative support to maintain the initial momentum or persuade the Secretary of State to keep the masterplan a priority?
Some, but not all, of the questions have been answered, but another hearing will be held next month.
Who knows if we’ll get another ‘Barbie’ moment, but Nava told me she enjoyed the movie. He said he read that director Greta Gerwig resisted suggestions to cut scenes that compliment Barbie dolls. Ann Ross The 91-year-old is also an Academy Award-winning costume designer in real life.
“That’s the crux of the movie,” said Gerwig rolling stone.
So, in addition to saying something about motherhood and feminism, Gerwig also wanted to comment on our culture that young people are obsessed with.
Under the Golden State banner, I was already reviewing early bird specials as a restaurant critic. I thought I had no choice but to broaden my horizons and become a film critic.
So on Thursday night, I bought a ticket, a bag of popcorn and a soda, and took a seat with a moviegoer dressed up as what I believe to be a Barbie doll. (Nobody told me I should dress like Ken.)
Not giving in too much, Barbie develops something like cellulite and begins to fear death, but neither should exist in Barbieland, where everyone is forever young and perfect. So she travels to the real world, at least Venice and Los Angeles, to correct herself. And here in the City of Angels, she’s shocked that men, not women, run the world. She concludes that unlike most of us, aging is not something to fear, but something to embrace.
Ross’s character is reading the Los Angeles Times while sitting on a bench, so you can tell she’s a woman with good taste. When Barbie told her she was beautiful, the woman smiled broadly and said, “You are beautiful.
“i know it.”
Very satisfied.
Steve.lopez@latimes.com
