Women who depend solely on erotic charm resist growing old ferociously

Evidence

The problems of menopause will last—sometimes until death—if the woman does not decide to let herself grow old; if she does not have any resources other than the use of her charms, she will fight tooth and nail to maintain them; she will also fight with rage if her sex drives remain alive. This is not unusual. Princess Metternich was asked at what age a woman stops being tormented by the flesh. “I don’t know,” she said, “I’m only sixty-five.” — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1719

Categorization

• CANDY: Princess Metternich’s ‘I’m only sixty-five’ quip is a delightful, self-contained anecdote.
• XREF: connects to: Aging women deny finitude and feel duped by a passively endured destiny — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1710; Aging women exaggerate femininity to disavow their intimidating autonomy — Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex, 1710