Does This Make Me Look Old?

Shiv & Sim

Does This Make Me Look Old? is a podcast about aging, that was started by two friends who are in denial about getting older. Talking to each other helps. Talking to the rest of the world might help even more. Like it or not, they will age - with, or without grace!

  1. 2022-03-23

    Season 2, Episode 11: Drinking Age

    In the belated spirit of St. Paddy’s Day, this week we’re talking about our drinking capacity, pattern, and preferences and how it diminishes and changes as we age (or as Shiv puts it, the trials and tribulations of an aging liver!).  Shiv - a prairie girl who has been drinking since the ripe old age of 18 - has definitely seen her taste in alcohol change, moving from mixed drinks and scotch in her youth and med school days to wine in her adulthood. And Sim, a fan of fruity cocktails, Peach Schnapps, and Long Island Ice Teas in her youth, has definitely noticed a clear change in both her drinking capacity and tastes (beer in her 20s and wine in her 30s).  We’ll also look at how drinking affects your sleep, regardless of age, and how as you age you aren’t able to metabolize your alcohol at the same rate as you could in your 20s (especially if you weren’t kind to your liver in your youth!). And how waking up with a hangover in your 40s is definitely not enjoyable anymore!  We’d love to hear how you handle drinking as you age, both in terms of how much you can consume and what you want to consume. And how well you handle those pesky hangovers (so not fun in our 40s!). And a very depressing study from the UK that said that if average alcohol consumption increased daily by one pint of beer that was equivalent to two years of aging in the brain. And how quality of life is so important as we age, drinking or not drinking. And fountains of youth (and they are coming!).  Shoot us a note at doesthismakemelookold@gmail.com anytime about this or anything else that’s on your mind. All input is welcome!

    30 min
  2. 2022-02-23

    Season 2: Episode 7: Tyrannical BS Life Milestones

    This week we're stepping away from And Just Like That and talking about adult milestones, a topic near and dear to Sim's heart. We'll examine what adult milestones government documents from the UK say we should meet. On the list -  legally becoming an adult, starting full-time work, moving out of your parents' home, moving in with a partner,  having a baby, getting married, and owning your own home (average age is 34 if you're curious).  We'll chat about how we tend to just arbitrarily absorb these ages that society says we should have met certain milestones, i.e., "You should be married by now!", "Tick tock, biological clock!". And how when we don't meet these milestones, there is an urgency to remedy it, or there's something wrong (you're a spinster, you won't be able to keep up with your kids). Societal pressure definitely comes into play here.  We'll talk about how your perceptions of age change from when you are young. Hands up if you thought 40 was ancient!  Sim questions how we land on these adult milestones numbers, Shiv talks about not feeling pressured to get married by a certain age, Canada's five adult milestone markers, the "tyranny of the should", and what the media is telling people about delayed adulthood if the economic situation isn't allowing them to do so. Also, do we even need to have these markers? Is it just to track the economic health of a country? And don't get us started on the people who feel compelled to point out that you aren't meeting said milestones!  We'd love to hear your thoughts on adult milestones. Have you felt pressured to meet them? Are there even any true markers of adulthood? Please drop us a note anytime at doesthismakemelookold@gmail.com.

    43 min
  3. 2022-02-09

    Season 2, Episode 5: And Just Like That…SATC Meets POC

    This week we again revisit And Just Like That, specifically how it’s addressing past comments about the lack of diversity in its cast. We’ll look at whether or not the reboot addresses diversity in a good way and ponder whether, in this day and age, if Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte would have issues with diversity as portrayed in the show. We’ll also discuss (with vigor) the over-the-top and in some instances, nonsensical, reactions of the main characters to the newly introduced ethnic characters in the show. For example, we find it hard to believe that Charlotte, over all the years of having kids in the public school system, in New York no less, is only now meeting her first friend of color. We also break down the scene with Miranda and the professor and a certain comment about not recognizing her because of her hair.  Along the way, we find ourselves wondering if the women’s attitudes are because they are in their 50s and stuck in their ways or because of their social standing. And why is the issue of Asian hate never touched on (Miranda’s daughter Lily is Asian)?  Things will take a positive turn as we embrace the character of Seema Patel. She’s vibrant in her 50s and enjoying sex in her 50s (more to come on that!). Can we also appreciate that there’s an actual sari shop in the show?  Overall, we’re just puzzled by the show’s portrayal of, and approach to, topics of race. We found it cringy how instead of being truly done to address the show’s past lack of diversity it was more done for comedic effect, and poorly at that. We can’t be alone, right?  Thoughts? Drop us a note anytime at doesthismakemelookold@gmail.com.

    47 min
  4. 2022-02-02

    Season 2, Episode 4: And Just Like That - Health Issues

    Tonight we’re going to talk about health issues in our 50s as depicted in….you guessed it - the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That! We’ll touch on (SPOILER ALERT) Big’s death from a heart attack after over-exerting himself on a Peloton and how we’re not a big fan of Carrie’s reaction. Instead of just cradling him and crying, why couldn’t Carrie have administered him his heart medication??? IT’S A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY, PEOPLE! After all, it wasn’t Big’s first heart attack, so you think they both would have known what to do. She didn’t even call 911 or perform CPR. WTF?  (On that note, learn how to do CPR. It’s important! “Stayin’ alive, stayin’ alive….”). Then, there’s Carrie’s hip surgery. On the one hand, the show shows the trials and tribulations people go through with hip surgery (it’s no walk in the park). On the other hand, we’re annoyed that her surgery is attributed solely to congenital hip disorder. Don’t get us wrong - there’s no shame in having the condition (Shiv has the same thing) but why could they just embrace that Carrie was having hip surgery due to regular aging? Why attribute it to something other than age? Is it because it’s considered an “old lady” surgery? Is it ageism? There are moments where the producers did get it right, though, and addressed issues that come with aging and independence. We’ll touch on those as well. That and sore knees and frozen shoulders. And heels and menopause. And Carrie and Anthony’s trip to the plastic surgeon. There’s never a dull moment in our podcast! What do you think about how Big’s heart attack and Carrie’s surgery were handled? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

    1h 5m
5
out of 5
12 Ratings

About

Does This Make Me Look Old? is a podcast about aging, that was started by two friends who are in denial about getting older. Talking to each other helps. Talking to the rest of the world might help even more. Like it or not, they will age - with, or without grace!