It’s Hard to Escape the Anne Boleyn Effect When You’re a Woman of a Certain Age

For women who refuse to play by the rules, there’s an unavoidable expiry date.

Anne was a victim of an effect non-conforming women know all too well. (Illustration by Meilan Solly / Base painting by Daniel Maclise, 1835)

When Anne Boleyn reappeared in England around 1521, she made a splash. Elegant, sophisticated, witty, and dressed in the latest continental fashions, she was an “it” girl of sorts who caught the eye…