I was an avid fan of the show What Not to Wear, which aired on the TLC channel on basic cable from 2003-2013. The premise of the show was simple: two clever, insightful stylists would ambush a person (usually a woman) who had questionable fashion sense. The subject had been nominated by well-meaning family, friends, or coworkers. If she agreed to cooperate, she’d get a head-to-toe makeover. It didn’t take long to discover that the grandmother who dressed like a stripper or the young bank teller who hid herself in dowdy, oversized clothing almost always had issues far more complex than what was in their closet. Their clothing was a disguise meant to cover up a painful past or a damaged sense of self.
I struggle, too, with feeling pretty and fashionable as I age. I look in the mirror and wonder how the petite, blue eyed girl with the long brown hair got lost in a wrinkly, saggy body with gray hair. I'm not the beauty my mom was. I never inherited her fashion sense, her poise, or her beautiful olive complexion. And living with a husband who never, EVER comments on appearances, doesn't help. (I try to tell myself that it's OK, but occasional affirmation would be nice.) I'm finding as I age, it doesn't matter as much to me as it did 10 or 20 years ago, but some days it does. It makes me sad that we grew up in a time where so much value was put on physical appearances. I'm glad that that is changing for this generation of young women, but for those of us in our 50's, 60's and beyond, I believe it is still something most women wrestle with daily...
There is a beautiful that comes from the inside. I knew a 90+ year old woman who I thought was very beautiful. So much had to do with who she was.
I struggle, too, with feeling pretty and fashionable as I age. I look in the mirror and wonder how the petite, blue eyed girl with the long brown hair got lost in a wrinkly, saggy body with gray hair. I'm not the beauty my mom was. I never inherited her fashion sense, her poise, or her beautiful olive complexion. And living with a husband who never, EVER comments on appearances, doesn't help. (I try to tell myself that it's OK, but occasional affirmation would be nice.) I'm finding as I age, it doesn't matter as much to me as it did 10 or 20 years ago, but some days it does. It makes me sad that we grew up in a time where so much value was put on physical appearances. I'm glad that that is changing for this generation of young women, but for those of us in our 50's, 60's and beyond, I believe it is still something most women wrestle with daily...