The Bright Side ‘Boldly’ Embraces Aging Like A ‘Glorious Broad’

Getting older and showing signs of aging may be a cause of worry for some people, especially younger women visualizing their future, but getting older can also be a very “freeing” experience.

During a recent episode of The Bright Side podcast, hosts Danielle Robay and Simone Boyce were joined by Maryjane Fahey of the Glorious Broads group to help women everywhere “confidently and boldly embrace aging” as a way to “recognize the wisdom of the women who came before us.”

Fahey is the founder and creative director of Glorious Broads, an online community for aging that, according to its website, is “taking on the patriarchy, ageism, racism — and finding a lipstick that will f—— SLAY.”

“We’re a community that wants to spread the word, to go forward unapologetically,” Fahey said. “Do not talk about being invisible. You decide to be visible. We really want to get to the younger women, and say, ‘There’s plenty of joy here. Look at what’s ahead of you!'”

While the term “broad” may often have a negative or demeaning connotation, Glorious Broads are turning the term on its head and giving it new life, largely thanks to the TV show Broad City starring Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, which aired from 2014 to 2019.

“I think of a broad as somebody owning it. Their sexuality, their sassiness, their everything,” she said. “It’s the girl who kind of stomps through life. Like those two girls did.”

Fahey also shared another inspiration behind Glorious Broads, recounting an obituary she read about a women who, at 85 years old, decided to “become a lesbian, move to the country, write a book, took up motorcycling,” saying she’s “everything I ever wanted to be.”

One of the biggest surprises to come from getting older is the freedom, Fahey said.

“As a young woman I was harassed on the street, I had like 38D cups, and I was tortured. I like men, I don’t hate men, I don’t hold it all against them, but it wasn’t fun,” she said. “As I get older, I like it when I choose to be invisible. If I don’t feel like wearing makeup or I don’t feel like putting my lipstick on and I just put on a baseball hat and put on a sweater that may disguise the assets that were probably more prevalent when I was in my 20s and 30s, I am free. And that has been a surprise for me.”

She continued, “Waking up one day and realizing, ‘Oh I no longer care about what [men] think and I no longer care if I made it or not.’ That is incredibly freeing.”

Elsewhere in the episode, Robay and Boyce honored the end of Women’s History Month in March while talking about feminist parties and figures like Gloria Steinem and Shirley Chisholm as well as their excitement and thoughts on Beyoncé‘s latest album Cowboy Carter.

On The Bright Side, a new daily female-focused podcast from Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine aimed at fostering positivity, Robay and Boyce bring a “daily dose of culture and inspiration” while keeping listeners up-to-speed on trends and celebrity news and interviews with a variety of guests. Check out more episodes of the Bright Side podcast at iHeart.com.