a certain age

The age at which a woman isn't expected to ever marry, might start lying about her age, or isn't considered attractive anymore. What, exactly this age is varies greatly.

"She was twenty-five and looked it, and so there was no longer any need for her to try to be attractive." (Gone With The Wind, describing India Wilkes).

(Note: the author of this write-up is 26 and doesn't consider herself an old maid.)

On Everything and other Internet "communities", a certain age has (or should have) a different meaning. At first, when I got on Everything and read a public display of angst through a writeup of histrionic poetry or a personal story about the anguish a particular noder feels because they'll never again sleep with their ex-girlfriend, I reached for my downvote. It all struck me as being, well, adolescent.

Then one day I realized that these writeups were being written by adolescents! That changed my whole attitude. There is a certain age during which it is entirely normal to put one's angst on display for anonymous viewing. When I was 15, I would have been posting very similar things.

So when I read a bad poem or a public musing about the nature of commitment, I do what I can to find out the age of the writer. And, if they're noders of a certain age, I keep finger off the voting button.