Kristin Scott Thomas and Madonna attack ageism

For actresses over 50, things are, "a disaster," according to Kristin Scott Thomas while Madonna is asking why age discrimination is still accepted.

This past year there's been a huge debate about racism, and most recently a lack of diversity in Hollywood movies, but that's only the tipping point. The whole argument about ageism has been largely ignored despite the fact that women over 50 tend to face harsh criticism and pressure to look young in Hollywood. Not only that, but there are fewer roles for women as opposed to men that are over 50 in films today.

From a population demographic standpoint, audiences are statistically getting older, and living longer, so why this disparity on screen?

Kristin Scott Thomas gave an interview to the BBC to highlight how women over 50 were being cast in supporting roles while younger actresses were given leads.

"I won't bore you with all the stories of older women not getting jobs in film because it's so boring. But it's true - it's a disaster."

This past week Madonna spoke with Rolling Stone Magazine and highlighted her view on the ageism debate stating that:

"No one would dare to say a degrading remark about being black or dare to say a degrading remark on Instagram about someone being gay...But my age – anybody and everybody would say something degrading to me. And I always think to myself, why is that accepted? What's the difference between that and racism, or any discrimination?"

With celebrities becoming increasingly vocal about the social issues and inequalities in entertainment, is it time to see whether age discrimination needs to be addressed?