Ironically, perhaps, just yesterday I wrote about how I, as an older woman, often feel invisible. Then I heard on the news that Rush Limbaugh, the infamous radio talkmeister, asked his audience this question about Presidential contender Hillary Clinton: "Will this country want to actually watch a woman get older before their eyes on a daily basis?"

Disregarding the split infinitive (to actually watch) and lack of agreement between the pronoun "their" and its antecedent, which is "country," a singular noun, I would like to respond to Mr. Limbaugh.

First, allow me to say that he has but reinforced what I have learned through experience, which is that double standards exist when it comes to the sexes. Men are allowed to age with at least a modicum of grace and dignity. They are viewed as dignified, distinguished, authoritative, etc. They are even viewed as sexy, for example, Sean Connery, Harrison Ford, Clint Eastwood--all of whom, I might add, have much younger female companions.

Women, on the other hand, are not allowed to age with either grace or dignity. We are seen as hags and crones and, more often than not, ridiculed (Just look at the tabloids and how they bombard readers with endless photos of aging female celebrities' cellulite, wrinkles, sagging jaw lines, and spreading waistlines, etc.) As a result, we women come to hate ourselves as we grow older; and we desperately try to regain our lost youth. We color our hair. We undertake hormone replacement therapy, all the while trying to ignore the possible negative side effects, like an increased risk of heart attack and cancer. We spend a fortune on creams that are guaranteed to firm our sagging skin, remove our wrinkles, fade our age spots, restore a youthful glow to our complexions, etc. Some of us, at least those who can afford it, even opt for plastic surgery. After all, "going under the knife" sure beats the alternative, which is looking our age.

I ask, so what if Hillary Clinton has wrinkles? So what if her skin isn't as firm as it was in youth? So what if she looks like she's actually lived--cried, laughed, worried, rejoiced--instead of sitting back and allowing life to pass her by out of fear it might leave marks on her face? I say these are the things that make her human.