I Took a Risk and Revealed My Age

by Elaine Soloway for SeniorWomen.com

I was enjoying my morning newspaper and coffee when a write-up about two well-known Chicagoans with ages similar to my own stopped me mid-gulp.

I stared at the column that announced television newsmen, Bill Kurtis, 71, and Walter Jacobson, 73, were being honored for returning to their old anchor seats and for successful aging.

While I’m always pleased to see people reveal their age, rather than substituing the pallid “ageless,” I couldn’t help wondering if a woman revealed her age, would she receive the same applause.

Age was top of mind because I was drafting a news release announcing my rejuvenated public relations agency. While many publications require the addition of age, some do not. So I was left with the question, would I be taking a risk by adding “72” to my description. Would that number turn off prospective clients who’d think I was too old to handle their accounts? Would they prefer a 20-something?

After some fence-sitting and despite butterflies, I decided to include it. In some ways, it was a no-brainer because in 2006 I published a memoir, The Division Street Princess. Anyone who read the book knew I was born in 1938.

Also, I was proud of the fact that although I had been away from the business for a number of years, and being 72, I’ve kept up with technology. With three blogs, accounts on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and SheWrites; and with a do-it-yourself Web site, I consider myself a social media maven.

Lastly, the reason I brazenly stamped 72 into my news release is because of the ageism I see in the media. Everytime I read of an elderly woman (60!) who (amazingly) fended off a purse snatcher or competed in a marathon, my stomach turns. I wanted to let journalists know that women over 70 could start, re-start, and succeed (fingers crossed) in entrepreneurial pursuits.

My decision proved effective. On October 13, 2010, Chicago Tribune journalist Mary Schmich wrote of my quandry and eventual bravery. The column brought accolades for both Schmich and me. And best of all, the write-up attacted my first client. Someone, naturally, who cared not a whit about my advertised age.

©2010 Elaine Soloway for SeniorWomen.com