How OLD are you?

Have you checked out all those blogs rampantly posted by senior style icons lately? There is a growing movement among the mature fashionistas who are embracing older beauty. Each of these women own her signature style, they are tech savvy and above all, stylish and authentic. I can't help but admire their boldness and playfulness, refusing to be ignored and remained invisible in the mainstream media while addressing 'ageism' from a whole new perspective.

Who says style and beauty are exclusive to only the young? And how do you define someone being 'young' anyway? It is all relative! Age is an attitude and style has no expiration date affixed to it. The term 'age-appropriateness' is just a convenient way of saying that women of a certain age should not be wearing certain styles because they are too old to be sexy, and that there is presumably a need to cover up their sagging bodies. A girl in her 20s who doesn't know her body and how to dress, follows trend and happy to be a sheep in the herd is no better than a mannequin without a sense of self-worth, whereas a woman can age in a way that is totally graceful, cool and beautiful. She knows who she is and is not afraid to show her essence to the world, expressing herself in wearing fashion her unique way with confidence.

What is it about ageing to be scared of? Well, the culprit is what we as a society has built around ageing which is mostly negative stereotyping prejudices, not dissimilar to those surrounding racism or gender inequality. Check out the classified section in the paper and you will see job ads that want to hire a 'recent college graduate' or a 'digital native', implying that older people need not apply. This is discrimination at its peak. The overuse of adjectives such as 'adorable' and 'cute' on older people is simply disrespectful. And what is so funny about older people having / not having sex (anyone for privacy?)and having episodes of hot flashes (which is a part of natural progression) and being tech illiterate (it's a matter of choice and individual interests in how deep you wish to be involved with the latest gadgets)? 

No one likes being patronised but the tone of voice we use on an older person could sound demeaning. Ignoring the older patient in favour of speaking to the adult child in company is absolutely humiliating. Similarly the choice of vocabulary to describe an older person could be downright hurtful especially with terms like 'old bag', 'crone', and 'broad'. 

If you pay any attention to the various media, women over 50 are now being chosen and celebrated for major ad campaigns, on TV and in movies. They are proofs that there is absolutely no reason why older women can't look fabulous and contemporary. The population of people over 50 is on the rise and it is only wise to acknowledge the reality and support the 'senior' who are dominating the human population big time. I remember when I was in my early 20s that the idea of becoming an old bag at the age of 30 was not going to happen to me. I could have never prepared myself for that. Now that I am in my mid forties, I am considered young by those who are in their 60s , with the energy befitting a teenager. 

Beauty is no longer about hormones and the number of candles on the birthday cake, it is about who the person really is. Nothing else matters.