Baby boomers breaking aging stereotypes

[MagnoliaThunder]

OP, while I agree that a 60 year old trying to look 20 is sad, I don't think that's what us Boomers are trying to do for the most part. What we want is to look like we feel inside -- we are healthier, richer, and freer than our predecessors, and we want to reflect that in how we look...I don't think you really have a clue what it feels like to look in the mirror and not recognize yourself because you don't look as great as you feel. Fortunately we have lots of ways to remedy that problem these days....
What you seem to be saying is that it's okay to "relax" and let yourself get fat and comfortable...but why not be comfortable by knowing that you look great and match how great you feel and that you can enjoy the freedom and enjoyment of being in your own skin which comes with getting older...And one doesn't have to be in the entertainment field to feel this way . . .
Why do you think we should just let ourselves go in order to conform to what people like you think we should?
Why don't you check back in with us in about 10-15 years and let's see how you feel. If you have let yourself go, well then of course you will defend your current position.
But I wonder how you'll really feel about all this.

[Kurinji]

Originally Posted by hot_in_dc

I don't have a problem with being over the age of 40 or looking and acting my age.

When a man dresses like a drag queen for a show, you know he is still a man dressing like a woman for a show.

When older people try to dress up to look and act like younger people, that is the same impression to me.

It's not that they actually look like they're young. It just looks like they are older and trying to feel like they are in high school again.

Sometimes older women keep their longer hair to rebel against the stereotype of cutting their hair shorter to avoid looking like their mothers. However, sometimes the longer hair drags down their facial features and makes them look older. Then they think they need Botox and a facelift, when they just need to change their hair, clothes, and make up from how they wore it in high school. When men do the comb-over, it makes them look older. A haircut would look better.

I'm on the tail end of the baby boomers and wear hair extensions down to my mid-back - no one rarely guesses my true age.

I will never want to stop looking good - will I wear a mini-skirt and platform pumps, no, lol. But I will always try to look my best, no matter my age.

[baileyvpotter]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

We live in a culture that worships at the altar of youth. Older people are considered to be useless, worthless and a "bother". The general feeling is that they take up valuable resources and contribute little or nothing to society. Mind you, this is NOT my opinion, it is the opinion of most people under 40.

People are not afraid of getting older, I think. They are afraid of dying, which is the logical conclusion. If they stave it off long enough, (the getting old part), at least they will not have to deal with the contempt of younger people. They will be more accepted in society.

Other cultures value the wisdom and experience of age and honor their older citizens. Not so here in the US.

20yrsinBranson

I do think there's some truth to that. My question is why have we made aging a disease?

Originally Posted by hot_in_dc

I think the ladies who host QVC seem to look like "average" women who maintain attractive uncomplicated hair and clothing styles.


Mary Beth Roe — Host Favorites — QVC.com

Jane Treacy — Host Favorites — QVC.com


Jill Bauer — Host Favorites — QVC.com

I rarely see the QVC hosts dressing in low cut, tight, or provocative attire, and they aren't expected to be paper thin.

There is something called makeup and lighting for people on tv and in films. Would be interesting to see
many of the women and even men in real life, outside the studio.

Originally Posted by hot_in_dc

I am not suggesting that babyboomers look any better or worse than younger people in their appearance. I am suggesting that many babyboomers may be using some drugs or plastic surgery enhancements to achieve a youthful appearance.

I am also suggesting that regardless of how young a person feels or how much younger they think they look, age is a number. Most people don't live past age 100. It's a babyboomer trend to suggest that "60 is the new 40."

Please don't misunderstand that I am putting down older women especially. It just seems like it should be a time in your life when you can relax and not feel so much pressure from the media.

quote below
Baby boomers were always a little bit spoiled and self indulgent and now they're just continuing on the same path. There's nothing wrong with it. Let them have their fun. This was the first generation for a lot of changes--more people than ever went to college, most women worked outside the home, unlike their mothers. Women of the baby boomer generation are probably more sophisticated then their stay at home mothers ever were. They know how to dress and they enjoy style. Why should they stop now just because of some old stereotype of women sitting home wearing flowered dresses and orthopedic shoes? And lace collars. They're having FUN.[/quote]

Not all baby boomers were spoiled or self indulgent. When I look back on how my mother's generation
dressed and the fashion, it was so much different than today. You didn't need big money to dress
elegantly. Clothing choices for women today are very much geared for a much younger generation.
Sure you can to Neiman Marcus or Norstrom for better options, if you have a thick pocket book.
What we are neglecting to mention when we talk about women in their 50's, 60's, and 70's in the
public eye is that they are their own commodity. There careers and finances depend on their looks.
They spend several hours a day training & excersising, have specialized diets & have numerous surgeries
to keep their youthful appearance.
This is nothing new and has been going on in Hollywood for decades. What is new is that young girls
are getting plastic surgery who haven't even finished developing. We keep creating these unrealistic
expectations for women and when you don't measure up you become an eyesore.

[Soda120]

Kathryn Aragon, your mom (or grandmom?) was pretty. Approximately when was this pic taken? Back in the day, people tended to look older because of hairstyles, eyeglass styles, clothes, etc. It's still a nice pic, though.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Soda120

Kathryn Aragon, your mom (or grandmom?) was pretty. Approximately when was this pic taken? Back in the day, people tended to look older because of hairstyles, eyeglass styles, clothes, etc. It's still a nice pic, though.

THANK YOU!

I think I gave the wrong impression with that post. I always thought my grandmother was pretty, but my point is that back in the 1950s and 1960s, women who dyed their hair were often considered a bit too daring or silly or even a little disgraceful. Styles for "married women" and women over thirty were definitely matronly. This was also the era of "white shoes only after Easter and never after Labor Day!" and when jeans weren't allowed to be worn to school, and when many women actually wore GLOVES to church. In other words, it was a different era altogether.

Now, women often continue working well into their 60s and even beyond, just as men do. We're also much more active for many more years, due to a significant increase in lifespan and the opportunities to enjoy better health and vitality for more years.

So - we don't FEEL old - why should we LOOK old???????

I began going gray when I was in my early thirties - when my face was such a baby face I didn't look a day over 22. I didn't want to go gray so early, so I started coloring my hair, which I still do at age 51. My hair is nearly completely white now (naturally, but of course I don't keep it that way) - and I still have very smooth, unwrinkled skin on my face (thanks to my grandmother's genes!). My husband and I are very active - hiking, ziplining, boating, the beach, etc - why should I feel BAD about coloring my hair or wearing cute clothes?

I don't dress like a teenager, but I am grateful for fashion choices that are fun and colorful and which reflect my enjoyment of life. I love beautiful clothes and accessories - why should I dress in drab or matronly clothes or stick with elastic waistbands and big clunky shoes when Chicos and Born make comfortable, "age appropriate" items that are also fashionable and attractive? Yes, I like Chicos - I guess that qualifies me as a "middle aged woman." See, I told you I dressed appropriately for my age!

Anyway, I don't like the skin on my neck, which is starting to get loose. I may have that surgically corrected - FOR MYSELF. Because I don't like it - not because I'm afraid of getting old. I DON'T LIKE THE WAY IT LOOKS. I can change that, so I just might. With no shame whatsoever. For ME, not for anyone else.