History Main / MenGetOldWomenGetReplaced

* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'': Aldur's disciples are sorcerers who are mostly thousands of years old. While the male sorcerers have aged into elderly-looking men who aren't physically quite as elderly as their appearances suggest, the only known female disciple, Polgara, looks like a [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty young woman]] who has had multiple suitors throughout the centuries (including an obsessed, insane God) because of her great beauty. The discrepancy is observed by the characters, who theorise that white hair and beards give men a distinguished air and help convey an aura of wisdom while an aged woman would be dismissed as an ugly crone not fit to respect. The gender inequality involved in this theory is acknowledged by the characters. [[spoiler:Poledra is a hidden disciple of Aldur who has been forced by the Prophecy of Light to fake her death for thousands of years. Born as a wolf, it took her a thousand years just to learn how to shapeshift into a human woman and win Belgarath's affection. Like Polgara, she looks youthful instead of old.]]

* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'': Most of the sorcerers who are disciples of Aldur are several thousand years old and all but one of his disciples are male. While the male sorcerers have aged into elderly-looking men who aren't physically quite as elderly as their appearances suggest, the only female disciple, Polgara, looks like a [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty young woman]] who has had multiple suitors throughout the centuries (including an obsessed, insane God) because of her great beauty. The discrepancy is observed by the characters, who theorise that white hair and beards give men a distinguished air and help convey an aura of wisdom while an aged woman would be dismissed as an ugly crone not fit to respect. The gender inequality involved in this theory is acknowledged by the characters. [[spoiler:Poledra is a hidden disciple of Aldur who has been forced by the Prophecy of Light to fake her death for thousands of years. Born as a wolf, it took her a thousand years just to learn how to shapeshift into a human woman and win Belgarath's affection. Like Polgara, she looks youthful instead of old.]]

* ''Literature/TheBelgariad'': Most of the sorcerers who are disciples of Aldur are several thousand years old and all but one of his disciples are male. While the male sorcerers have aged into elderly-looking men who aren't physically quite as elderly as their appearances suggest, the only female disciple, Polgara, looks like a [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty young woman]] who has had multiple suitors throughout the centuries (including an obsessed, insane God) because of her great beauty. The discrepancy is observed by the characters, who theorise that white hair and beards give men a distinguished air and help convey an aura of wisdom while an aged woman would be dismissed as an ugly crone not fit to respect. The gender inequality involved in this theory is acknowledged by the characters.

* In the ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', wizards are immortal and so is the witch Polgara, but while the former look like wise old (but well-preserved) men, she [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty looks eternally young]].

* In ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'', we are shown flashbacks of a thousand years ago. Most male characters who were adults then (such as Commander Yamamoto) have gotten old and wizened, while males who were young have become middle-aged (such as Captain Kyoraku and Captain Ukitake). Captain Unohana, the only known adult female from that time, has seemingly not aged at all ({{Justified|Trope}}, since she is a medic with regenerative abilities).

* {{Gender Inverted|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfKorra''. The previous series' female main characters Katara and Toph show up in the present day, aged up appropriately, while male main characters Aang and Sokka appear only in flashbacks from their prime.

* In the ''Film/{{X-Men}}'' film series, the only female character from the ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' era that returns is the immortal ShapeShifter, Mystique. Other female characters, like Angle Salvadore and Emma Frost, are never seen again. Both are said to have died in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast''.

* In the ''Film/{{X-Men}}'' film series, the only female character from the ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' era that returns is the immortal ShapeShifter, Mystique. Other female characters, like Emma Frost, are never seen again. Both are said to have died in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast''.

* In the ''Film/{{X-Men}}'' film series, the only female character from the ''Film/XMenFirstClass'' era that returns is the immortal ShapeShifter, Mystique. Other female characters, like Angel and Emma Frost, are never seen again. Both are said to have died in ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast''.

Compare and contrast IWasQuiteALooker, which may potentially subvert this.

* In ''Videgame/{{Overwatch}}'', all of the female characters who are former members or veterans have somehow remained young. For example, Mei was cryogenically frozen and Tracer is stuck outside of time. Other female characters, like Zarya and Pharah, are newer recruits. Mercy's lack of aging is never explained, but is lampshaded in conversation with Mei. All of these characters contrast the male veterans, like Torbjorn, Solder: 76, Reaper, and Reinhardt, who are all still around and significantly older. The first DLC character, Ana Amari, is Pharah's mother, who returns to duty and thus subverts the trope later.

* In ''Videgame/{{Overwatch}}'', all of the female characters who are former members or veterans have somehow remained young. For example, Mei was cryogenically frozen and Tracer is stuck outside of time. Other female characters, like Zarya and Pharah, are newer recruits. In fact, Pharah replaces her mother, who was one of the original members of Overwatch. Mercy's lack of aging is never explained, but is lampshaded in conversation with Mei. All of these characters contrast the male veterans, like Torbjorn, Solder: 76, Reaper, and Reinhardt, who are all still around and significantly older.

[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/TheBelgariad'', wizards are immortal and so is the witch Polgara, but while the former look like wise old (but well-preserved) men, she [[ImmortalityBeginsAtTwenty looks eternally young]].
[[/folder]]

Also related to MenActWomenAre, since men are assumed to have value for what they can do, thus even an old man wants to stay useful. A woman's value, however, is tied to her beauty, so if that's been lost with age, she's no longer useful. (Thus why the VainSorceress sets her priorities there.)

* In the ''Literature/{{Belgariad}}'', wizards are immortal and so is the witch Polgara, but while the former look like wise old (but well-preserved) men, she looks eternally young.

* The ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' finale "[[Recap/StarTrekTheNextGenerationS7E24AllGoodThings All Good Things]]" features premonitions of a BadFuture: Will, Geordi, and the other male members of the core cast are older, wrinklier, and greyer of hair; Deanna is dead. (Beverley, who was already a widow of mature years with visible signs of aging, survives, which suggests something about how this trope is applied.)

** The original members of the Justice Society included Comicbook/WonderWoman and Comicbook/BlackCanary, but when the group reformed decades later, it included the daughters of both as replacements. (Wonder Woman was retroactively stated to be Diana's mother, Hippolyta.) Many of the men returned despite having aged (such as Jay Garrick, the original Comicbook/{{Flash}}. Some, like Alan Scott (Comicbook/GreenLantern) and Carter Hall (Comicbook/{{Hawkman}} had either de-aged or were immortal).

** The original members of the Justice Society included Comicbook/WonderWoman and Comicbook/BlackCanary, but when the group reformed decades later, it included the daughters of both as replacements. (Wonder Woman was retroactively stated to be Diana's mother, Hippolyta. Many of the men returned despite having aged (such as Jay Garrick, the original Comicbook/{{Flash}}. Some, like Alan Scott (Comicbook/GreenLantern) and Carter Hall (Comicbook/{{Hawkman}} had either de-aged or were immortal).

When a plot or backstory features a TimeSkip, it seems that male characters age and either become {{Badass Grandpa}}s or {{Old Master}}s, while female characters are written out of it altogether in various ways.

When a plot or backstory features a TimeSkip, it seems that male characters age and either become {{Badass Grandpa}}s, {{Old Master}}s or TheObiWan, while female characters are written out of it altogether in various ways.

* {{Gender Inverted|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfKorra''. The previous series' female main characters Katara and Toph show up in the present day, aged up appropriately, while male main character Aang and Sokka appear only in flashbacks from their prime.