What qualifies as beautiful?
I guess it is an age old question why men are allowed to be considered as hot as ever as they age – and women are not generally looked upon in that light. As a mother that really sucks for me – and is not a very hopeful thing for my daughters to look forward to. I know it is all linked to pro-creation. The guy can go on having kids until he is eighty – and mother nature gave women a fertility expiration date. I guess in natures final humorous crack – men generally don’t live so long. Interesting.
But on to the task at hand. How is it possible to shift the paradigm of what is considered beautiful? How can we expand the subject so there is a place for women to be and feel beautiful as they age.
I remember, as a kid, when my parents would see a woman dressing what they considered “too” youthfully – they would mutter under their breath “Mutton dressed as lamb”….So that was a pretty clear message.
I also get kind of infuriated with all the magazines going crazy with “Age” issues – how to dress for your twenties, thirties, forties, and god forbid beyond…..yak, yak, yak. I cannot think of anything more nauseating than having some fashion editor prescribe to me what is “fashion appropriate” for my age. If I want to squeeze my sorry arse into something from “Forever 21″ too bad for you. Watch and learn.
In my dance group I love having everyone fantasize and choose what they are going to wear. I don’t care if you are 20 or 70 – wear what speaks to you, wear what makes you feel good, wear what addresses your desire for yourself. Work on seeing the positives in yourself, everyone around can judge or not judge, so you might just as well make yourself happy. It seems to me, you have a choice, you can see the glass half empty or full – your choice.
I love, while our group is rehearsing their dance number, my husband always encourages everyone to love their reflection in the mirror. That is a really hard exercise – but a good one for everyone to try. When you see yourself in a mirror – resist the urge to tell yourself “Jesus Christ I need a face lift!’…..see yourself for the charming, good things that exist within you.
Anyway – I think to myself this is NOT a frivolous subject. I have two precious beautiful little daughters – and I cannot bear the thought of them walking though life like a supermarket item with an expiry date stamped on their heads. By being kind to ourselves, and kind to other women, by widening our vision of what is allowed to be beautiful….we can expand the possibilities for ourselves and future generations.
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