Or more to the point what is the issue that society has with ageing?
A 30 something woman in my pilates class was talking about the botox she had in her forehead to get rid of her frown lines, now I am not knocking anyone who chooses to have tweakments it is totally up to her if that is what she wants to do but personally I don’t want to erase my lines. I want to celebrate it my age, as it is a privilege denied to many.
We are told we have to chase youth and erase any signs of getting older instead of embracing the beauty of older skin and bodies.
We are told we shouldn’t let ourselves go and try to hold onto the face and body we had in our 20’s – give up the foods we enjoy to stay slim, work out every moment of the day and spend a fortune on anti-ageing products or fill our face full of filler to stay beautiful and accepted. But then we are told we shouldn’t try to look young in the way we dress – we simply can’t win. We are told we need to dress appropriately for age, to stick to neutral shades and classic styles. Not wear shorts or short skirts, to cover our arms or only wear a certain cut of jeans. Who makes these rules and what do they know about what I want to wear?
We are told we need to disappear and fade into the background, to not be vocal or have a voice. We are told our lives are finished and we should sit around and wait to die?!
The truth is we are just getting started, we have so many life experiences that we can share. We are starting businesses, writing books and getting on with enjoying a fulfilling life.
Who says that only youth is beautiful and older women are not? My lines are my badge of honor of a life well lived. I personally would rather see women ageing naturally with everything that age brings. Wrinkles only go where smiles have been and ageing is just another word for living. Age is not a lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength.
“I am baffled that anyone might not think when women get more beautiful as they get older. Confidence comes with age and looking beautiful comes in the confidence people have in themselves” says Kate Winslet
We need to change the narrative and start celebrating older women. Ageism is so ingrained in how we think and how society perceives us. Recently on my Instagram feed on a post I shared someone commented that I looked good for my age which is actually a backhanded compliment as firstly what should a 60+ year old woman look like and secondly I look exactly how I should look at my age – I have lines, I have a flabby tummy and my arms are not toned to perfection and I am fine with that, it is perfectly normal. I don’t have the time or energy to spend hours in the gym or worry about what others think of how I look. I am too busy making the most of every day and living life to the full.
So I am kicking back at the ageism and wearing what the hell I want, staying vocal and not fading into the background. I will celebrate every line and wrinkle, not worry about the flabby stomach or wobbly arms and continue to grow old disgracefully!
