So last fall when I was sick with a monster (non-Covid) respiratory infection, I listened to a lot of music and podcasts. As I was flipping through Spotify’s podcast offerings, one popped out at me: Julia Louis-Dreyfus (of Seinfeld and Veep fame) hosted one called Wiser Than Me. In this series, she interviews women who are in their 70s and 80s because she wanted to delve into the wisdom of older women, and hear their stories, which are often ignored by our present society. And her first podcast was with Jane Fonda.
I have memories of the early 1980s and her workouts. I started enrolling in aerobics classes and bought those bodysuits and leggings and leg warmers (the whole nine yards!).
While these home videos were meant to fuel the costs of her political activism, they revolutionized and normalized hard exercise for women. They allowed women to own being sweaty and muscular. They allowed women to exercise at their own leisure in the home instead of going to a grimy, dusty gym from which women were largely excluded. Women could take charge of their own bodies and define strength and fitness for themselves. It was empowering. (yes, there are critiques and analyses of this idea).
I don’t know if it’s true, but I have a feeling that Jane Fonda paved the way for more inclusive gym spaces with lighter weights, machines and well-lit spaces that made women (and most men) feel safe. I, for one, remember those old university gyms with one or two Universal weight machines, some heavy free weights and a couple of exercise bikes. I got curious about gyms and weights, and starting lifting weights in 1985 (2nd year university). I dropped the aerobics but haven’t stopped lifting weights. And I haven’t stopped challenging traditional notions of what a woman’s body ought to look like.
So all of these memories were triggered by listening to this podcast. But another thing Jane Fonda talked about was writing a “life review”. As an actor, she thinks of life as being divided into acts. And she thinks that the human lifespan can be reasonably expected to last 90 years if one is relatively healthy (ie no chronic diseases). So Act I is 0-29, Act II is 30-59, and Act III is 60-90. She goes on to recommend that women research themselves starting at age 59 and embark on the process of writing a life review by age 60.
Well. I just turned 59! So I thought I would begin the process. I’ve downloaded a template that will get me started on thinking and writing about prominent life events, and reflecting on my memories and the impact they’ve had on my life. And I’ve actually written down a couple of things. I’m looking forward to this experience.
Have any of you written, or considered writing, a life review? I’d love to hear of your experiences if you have.
