I pride myself in being not too concerned about my age. I mean, the alternative is death, so this is pretty good, right? But every so often, even I, totally zen Stutzer, start to freakout about my age when some idiot bursts out with a, “wow! You’re old,” when they hear my age, or check my ID.

Now, I’m just a common, everyday human who just works at a computer most of the day. No one really cares about my age, and I sure as heck don’t need to lie about my age for any particular reason. (I’m not dating online anymore after all… more on that later.) But women in Hollywood have it totally different. Why? The simple, and somewhat snarky answer is: Because Hollywood is full of butt faces who discriminate against aging women.

Time and time again, articles, blogs, and posts are published that contain information about some executive stating that so-and-so is too old to play a certain role. And that’s why this whole recent brush-up about Rebel Wilson’s real age is so weird.

According to Salon, Wilson got a lot of heat for saying that she is younger than she actually is. But why wouldn’t Wilson fib a little about her age? After all, this is the industry that has told Maggie Gyllenhaal, a 37-year-old actress, that she was too old to be cast as the lover of a 55-year-old man.

While lying about your age may be a necessity in Hollywood (if you want to work), many of us average, normal-job-having ladies lie about our ages, too. Why? Well, apparently men on dating websites have issues with aging women, too.

Now, I never had an issue with my age (32!) while dating around, but apparently, many women do:

– We reported a few months ago about the weirdo, bogus price-hike Tinder placed on over-30 premium account users. This hike was aimed at aging women and men.

– And get a load of this cheery antidote from the Salon article:

“In an interview at Match.com, ‘The Dating Race’ author Stacy Kravetz laid out the stark reality for women dating online: ‘Men tend to worry that women between 35 and, say, their early 40s are bound and determined to have kids. So even if they’re 35 themselves, men tend to look for women who are younger just to take the pressure off the situation.'”

Ah. The joys of some social realities.

Have you ever felt like you had to lie about your age to attain something? Do you think discrimination against aging women will ever cease?

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Image for woman at casting call from Shutterstock

The post Aging Women Can’t Get a Break in Hollywood (or Anywhere Else, Really) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Single, over 30, and on Tinder? Cool – get ready to pay more for premium services on Tinder. While this is most likely a “savvy” business move, it reads kind of gross and feels a bit like age discrimination.

According to Mashable, the dating app is adding a premium account option called Tinder Plus. The new account option allows users who pay a premium to take advantage of the following new features:

Passport: This new features allow people to change their location and connect with people anywhere around the world.

Rewind: It allows users to “take back” your last swipe: “If you accidentally swiped left on someone you want to get to know, they’re no longer lost in the Tindersphere forever. Now you can get him/her back with the touch of a button.”

Unlimited “likes:” “Regular users may now have a finite number of ‘likes’ available to them.” If a user reaches that limit, they better upgrade…

So, why are people a tad bit grumpy about this new option? Other dating sites require users to pay a premium for certain services, right? Well, yeah, they do, but as far as I know, other sites don’t charge older users more because they are, well, older.

Tinder now charges its over-30 users double the price for a premium account… That’s totally bogus.

The price for users who are under 30 is $9.99 a month. The price for over-30s? $19.99. First off, charging $20 a month for a premium dating app account is insane. And second, it’s COMPLETELY insane that over-30 users have to pay more for these, honestly, not-so-great features.

The company says that the over-30 price kick is to lure younger users to use the premium app. Sure, that’s true. Younger people have less money than the over-30s, but this price is nuts.

Why do you think Tinder has decided to charge older people more money for the app? Do you think this move is age discrimination like this XOJane article suggests? Or do you think it’s a dumb, or totally brilliant business move?

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Image: Denis Bocquet

The post Tinder’s Age Discrimination is LAME: Charging Users Over 30 for ‘Premium Service’ appeared first on EcoSalon.

Online dating tips abound, but is anything more important than the first impression from your profile pic?

Online dating can be really uncomfortable. Don’t make the experience any more uncomfortable by just uploading all of the following uncomfortable, boring pics.

Online dating is hard. Really, really hard. Every time I fill out a new online dating profile (yes, I’ve done this multiple times), I die a little. Did I represent myself correctly? Did I mention my love of horror and obsession with death a tad too much? It’s maddening. And once you pass the “writing the perfect profile” hurdle, you’ve got to worry about what photos to upload. This. Is. Never. Fun.

Over the years, I’ve uploaded a bevy of photos to various dating sites. Most get an OK response, but even I know that some of my profile pics are cringe worthy. So, why do I still use them? I’m really not sure. Because it’s easy? Because I am trying to be cute? Lord knows.

After years (and years) of online dating, I’ve pinpointed a few online dating profile photo styles that make me cringe (even though I’ve used similar shots of myself). Avoid humiliation by heeding my seasoned dating advice.

Online Dating Tips for the Ultimate Profile Pic

1. The Selfie

Selfies are fun. But do you really want the only representation of yourself on your dating profile to be a selfie? I think not. Don’t shy away from using selfies altogether – just use them sparingly. Try to make your main profile shot a clear photo of your face (sans a stretched out arm and duck face).

Image: Leo Hidalgo

2. The Bathroom Full Body Shot

Do you have a friend? A family member? Cool! Ask them to take a full body shot next time you’re out. Using the tried and rather mundane method of taking a photo of your body in your bathroom is better than nothing (your potential dates should really be able to get a good look at you before taking you out), but lazy at best.

3. The Chest Shot

So, you work out? Why don’t you talk about your love of lifting rather than taking a shot of your sculpted abs? “Ab shots” don’t make good profile photos (hello, where’s your face), and can make you look a bit, uh, superficial. This goes for girls and guys.

Image: Hot Gossip Italia

4. The Artistic “Just the Face” Shot

Nope. Uh-uh. You are not as creative as you think you are. Save these shots for Instagram.

Image: Jordy Ferket

5. The Shot with a Dog/Cat/Baby

Believe me, I want to showcase my pups, too. But it’s probably best to upload photos with your furry friends (and other people) to another album on your profile. Your profile pic should just showcase your beautiful face.

Image: Robert Neff

Note: None of these photos are actual “dating website photos,” except mine. (I’m the bathroom full body shot.) Laugh it up, folks. That’s what I’m here for. All other shots were grabbed to depict what I see online via Creative Commons.

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Image: Andrew Fysh

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