The end of the stigma against gray hair. Actresses like , Sarah Paulson , and Jane Fonda began appearing on screen with silver hair, signaling that "natural" does not mean "retired." This shifted the aesthetic of cinema from a juvenile obsession with youth to an appreciation of longevity.
As the studio system collapsed, the "Cliff" became steeper. The 80s and 90s were dominated by action films and teen comedies where women over 50 were virtually nonexistent, save for quirky neighbors or dying mothers.