At the 2026 Golden Globes , five of the six nominees for Best Actress in TV Drama were over 40. Iconic figures like Helen Mirren received lifetime achievement awards, while Jamie Lee Curtis and Jean Smart have dominated recent Emmy wins.
Films such as The Substance (starring Demi Moore ) and The Last Showgirl ( Pamela Anderson ) have sparked global conversations about how the industry treats aging women.
Recent years have seen a "cultural readjustment" in how mature women are portrayed and rewarded.