Day 356 of 365 - The New Older
That was the catchy title of the cover story of the women's magazine to which I subscribe. I was interested in reading it, because the cover photo was one of Jann Arden, a singer I very much admire, who is now 57. Arden however, was just one of eight women who were interviewed about aging and also had featured photos. They ranged in age from 43 to 61, with the majority being in their forties. That makes sense I suppose since the main demographic of the magazine's readers is probably women in their 30's, who think of 40 as old.
In any case, some interesting points were made from each woman's perspective on life changes associated with aging. The two older women were very clear on the importance of now listening more to the needs of their body, such as for adequate sleep and less intake of toxins like alcohol, in order to be able to function the way they would like. With every passing year, our lives give us reality checks on the impacts on the body of too little or too much.
Most of the other women were addressing topics such as anti-aging interventions, and whether to dye their hair, or not. Some had come to the realization that the amount of money they had already spent over the years on those things probably would have served them better being invested in real estate or money markets. :)
All seemed to agree that one of the important aspects of aging, is coming to terms with who we are and that it is more valuable to be truly seen by the people who care about us, than to have momentary acknowledgment of others for living up to some societal expectation of appearance. It's a time to question preconceived notions and whether they hold true for us.
Perhaps the changes in appearance that come with aging are a more traumatic experience for women who are more in the public eye, or who have been admired for their beauty in their younger adult years. As someone who has always been rather plain in my appearance, it's been a more gradual transition for me.
I did dye my hair for awhile in my 40's, when I thought the color was getting dull, not because I was going grey. Then, I decided I did not want to spend the time or money on it any more. As one of the article subjects said 'the body's need for maintenance became inverse to my ability to care'. In my case, that was true, at least for hair color. I still valued other practices, like exercise.
Also, women who came from cultural backgrounds which value elders, had less concern about aging than those who did not. They view life more as a sacred continuum in which the body deserves honor and care.
It was good to see a main stream magazine challenging the status quo about beauty, appearance and age. After all, most women's magazines are still about how to appear young and beautiful. Even a small move, like the theme of that article, is a step in the right direction of keeping it real, as far as I'm concerned. It was an acknowledgment that we ought to do whatever makes us comfortable in our own skin as we age. For some people that will mean coloring their hair or having skin treatments etc. However, let's hope that what is underlying our choices is our desire to just be who we are.
In any case, some interesting points were made from each woman's perspective on life changes associated with aging. The two older women were very clear on the importance of now listening more to the needs of their body, such as for adequate sleep and less intake of toxins like alcohol, in order to be able to function the way they would like. With every passing year, our lives give us reality checks on the impacts on the body of too little or too much.
Most of the other women were addressing topics such as anti-aging interventions, and whether to dye their hair, or not. Some had come to the realization that the amount of money they had already spent over the years on those things probably would have served them better being invested in real estate or money markets. :)
All seemed to agree that one of the important aspects of aging, is coming to terms with who we are and that it is more valuable to be truly seen by the people who care about us, than to have momentary acknowledgment of others for living up to some societal expectation of appearance. It's a time to question preconceived notions and whether they hold true for us.
Perhaps the changes in appearance that come with aging are a more traumatic experience for women who are more in the public eye, or who have been admired for their beauty in their younger adult years. As someone who has always been rather plain in my appearance, it's been a more gradual transition for me.
I did dye my hair for awhile in my 40's, when I thought the color was getting dull, not because I was going grey. Then, I decided I did not want to spend the time or money on it any more. As one of the article subjects said 'the body's need for maintenance became inverse to my ability to care'. In my case, that was true, at least for hair color. I still valued other practices, like exercise.
Also, women who came from cultural backgrounds which value elders, had less concern about aging than those who did not. They view life more as a sacred continuum in which the body deserves honor and care.
It was good to see a main stream magazine challenging the status quo about beauty, appearance and age. After all, most women's magazines are still about how to appear young and beautiful. Even a small move, like the theme of that article, is a step in the right direction of keeping it real, as far as I'm concerned. It was an acknowledgment that we ought to do whatever makes us comfortable in our own skin as we age. For some people that will mean coloring their hair or having skin treatments etc. However, let's hope that what is underlying our choices is our desire to just be who we are.
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