Gen X Women 40+ Are Invisible In Society

I am 40+ and don’t mind being invisible. When I was younger, I got a lot of attention. I have a unique combination of Italian, Ukrainian, and English ancestry which I guess my looks made me stand out.

Not anymore! And I’m okay with it. Gone are the days of wolf whistles and catcalls. Gone are the days of not feeling safe walking down the street.

I wear my invisibility like a cloak. And I channel any presence I have into my writing on Medium and my books.

I am not the only one who feels this way. According to this HuffPost article:

I know that many will take issue with my stance. Society is not kind to women who age, and no one knows that better than women themselves. No one enjoys being ignored when they need something, but the world is not kind to girls or women at any stage, and what I’m talking about is something far more sinister than the store clerk who looks right past me.

I remember the first time a man I didn’t know put his hands on me. It happened in broad daylight at a popular spot in Brooklyn, New York, where locals go to enjoy the view of the Hudson River and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that connects my borough to Staten Island. I was 15 years old and enjoying summer break. I spent my days biking around the city and often stopped at this spot, which I’d loved…