Ashley Darby and I are the same age. At 32 years old, she is five years into starring in a hugely popular reality TV franchise and the mother to two children. And at 32 years old, I am many years into enjoying that same reality TV franchise and the mother to a decent number of articles about just that.

But, when I think about the Real Housewives franchise, I tend to think that it’s about women at least 20 years older. When I picture the shows, I see sixty-something Ramona Singer and fifty-something Sonja Morgan out on the town, hitting on younger dudes, or Cynthia Bailey repeatedly calling herself “50 Cynt” in honor of her milestone birthday.

So, as younger women have started to join the franchise at what seems (emphasis on seems) to be an accelerated rate in recent seasons, it feels like the shows I love are changing. What sense does 38-year-old Leah McSweeney make on RHONY? The new Beverly Hills Housewife is how old?

But while these casting decisions may seem surprising — especially now that we’ve known some of the Housewives for so long — looking back at the early days of Real Housewives reveals a stark truth:

The Housewives aren’t getting younger, we’re getting older. (Real Housewives of Beverly Hills producer and president of Evolution Media Alex Baskin tells me age isn’t a factor when casting, but we’ll get to that in a second.)