There are obviously people who
believe they can dictate what appropriate ages are for women to stop doing certain
things! Popular talk show “The Talk” hosts discussed one such list the other day commenting
that, according to the author, women should not be on FaceBook, take selfies,
wear skinny jeans, etc., by specific ages. One published
list by U.K.’s Daily Mail columnist William Hanson includes texting, having
long hair, wearing leggings, using hair products, being in a bikini, visiting a
nightclub and staying out past midnight.
While I admit there are some women
who should never wear a bikini (I readily admit to being one of those), how is
there an “age” where it is or is not permitted? Oh, excuse me, Mr. Hanson
states that doing some of these activities past specific ages “becomes
embarrassing”. Personally my feeling — who the heck is Mr. Hanson to tell me
what I can or cannot do at my age? I think he’s a bit stuffy and dictatorial.
Yes, we should all use common sense,
look at ourselves in a mirror (honestly) and perhaps ask a trusted friend how
we look but if a woman has a nicely toned bod, why shouldn’t she wear skinny
jeans if she feels comfortable in them? As for using FaceBook, the most common
age demographic is 25 to 34 (about 29%) for both male and female, but there are
more than six-hundred-thousand LIKES on the Woman After 50 FaceBook page.
Posting a selfie now and then
provides an opportunity for some to make a statement about themselves, kind of this is who I am. Posting a selfie
showing us doing something we are proud of like a sport, a charitable event,
with friends, or showing kindness to our pets, can help give us an ego boost similar
to patting our own backs. Is there an age where we are no longer entitled or in
need of boosting our self-value. And texting, so long as it is not done
incessantly and certainly not while driving, is a quick and harmless form of
communication in a very busy world.
Surprisingly not all of these “Do not
do, do not wear, do not have fun” articles are written by men or I would have automatically
assumed there was some of that controlling misogamy going on, although maybe
there is… you know the kind of people who rate women as a 2, 6, or 10. And
there are even a FEW articles limiting what a man of a certain age should not
be allowed to do, however the ones I read deal more with behavior than with
appearance (hmmm, a bit of double standard?).
I figure at my age I really am not as
worried about what others think of me; I worry what I think of me. In my 60s my
priorities are my family, my pets, my home, my career, myself and most importantly
enjoying every day that I wake up breathing. On FaceBook, yes I am guilty of
participating in social media, there are several humorous memes saying things
like Act how you want and blame it on a
senior moment. Amusing but still a valid piece of advice.
I did find a few NICE lists telling
us what women shouldn’t do after specific ages, one such article is The
3 Things Middle-Aged Women Need To Stop Doing When Speaking In Public and
includes the following advice: 1. Stop apologizing for your lack of
technological skills or social media skills; 2. Stop apologizing for the way you look; and 3. Stop comparing your place in your path to someone else’s place on their
path. Another positive article 24
Things Women Over 30 Should Wear offers one repeated and welcome piece
of advice in response to that question: Whatever
the f#*% they want.
In my opinion
I’ve been doing that ADULT thing for a while now, I am entitled to LIVE even if
it might be embarrassing to the critical Mr. Hanson.
No comments:
Post a Comment