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Why Leonardo DiCaprio’s Girlfriends Don’t Make It Past 25
Susan Sontag, and the Ageing Double Standard.
Anama Gómez
November 08, 2024
Hey there, Ana’s Time Club! 💌✨
Today, I wanted to share a reflection on a phenomenon we often see in the celebrity world—one that reveals a lot about society as a whole. Leonardo DiCaprio, celebrated Hollywood actor, continues to age while his partners remain youthful. It’s something many notice, but what's behind this situation? To understand it better, let’s look to Susan Sontag’s thoughts on the "double standard of ageing."
In her essay, Sontag observed that, while ageing has objective physical and mental costs for everyone, there are subjective, deeply ingrained costs that fall more heavily on women than on men. Society has traditionally valued men by their competence and economic success, qualities that tend to increase over time, enhancing their social respect and even appeal. Women, by contrast, have long been valued for their physical attractiveness and youthfulness—standards that inevitably wane with time, often leading to a diminished perceived worth.
This double standard impacts relationships, especially in conventional heterosexual settings. As men age, they gain “character” or “charm,” while women face the relentless pressure to maintain youthful appearances. We see this in how a man with grey hair is seen as "distinguished" or even "sexy," whereas a woman with grey hair may be labelled “neglectful.” Or consider the popularity of the “dad bod,” while women face social pressures to “bounce back” physically after childbirth.
We are, of course, in an era of change, and it’s true that many of these standards are being challenged. However, we still live in a world that reflects these norms. Cases like DiCaprio and his younger partners highlight that these biases haven’t vanished entirely. There’s also a persistent gap in the acceptance of age-difference relationships, where older men with younger partners are more accepted than the reverse. Similarly, professional success for women can still carry a social price in their personal lives, something Sontag also reflected upon.