New York Times readers will remember this June 2011 magazine profile of Leslie Blodgett, the chief of Bare Escentuals cosmetics and QVC star. I was surprised and blushingly flattered when she wrote me a fan note about my book, “In Our Prime.” She was especially interested in the chapters on advertising and the Midlife Industrial Complex. We met for coffee at the Times today, and what was so amazing about this cosmetics mogul is her own perceptive critique of the beauty industry, and the company’s attempts to avoid the demeaning messages embedded in so much advertising. Now that I have a goody bag of Escentual treats, I can hardly wait to start swirling and tapping.
Midlife has swung between serving as an emblem of power and influence, and a metaphor for decline, yet the invention and history of this vital period of life has never before been fully told. Acclaimed New York Times reporter Patricia Cohen finally fills the gap with a book that provokes surprise, outrage and delight. In Our Prime takes readers from turn-of-the-century factories that refused to hire middle-aged men to high-tech laboratories where researchers are unraveling the secrets of the middle-aged mind and body. She traces how midlife has been depicted in film, television, advertisements, and literature. Cohen exposes the myths of the midlife crisis and empty nest syndrome, and investigates anti-aging treatments like human growth hormones, estrogen, Viagra, Botox, and plastic surgery.
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