Get Out Your Sledgehammers, Ladies!

I posted a “Tag” video to my YouTube channel this week in which I answered 20 questions geared toward mature women. Most of the questions were about wrinkles and sagging skin and ways to treat them, but question 19 really struck a nerve with me and I went off on a small rant on the topic. Well, the issue seemed to strike a chord with lots of women because the response was overwhelming, so I wanted to explore the topic a little more over here on my blog…

You can watch the whole Tag video here or skip to 12:50 to watch “Question 19”.

Question 19 asked: Do you go sleeveless to Walmart in the summer?

It’s a seemingly innocent question, but the more I thought about it and listened to other YouTubers answer the question, the more it bothered me.

My answer was: Yeah, why wouldn’t I? (plus 20 more minutes of talking which I edited down to 2 minutes).

The question implies that just because we’re old(er) and our skin isn’t perfect that we should sacrifice our own comfort so other people don’t have to see our wrinkles. This goes right along with all the other “rules” I’ve seen for older women like, “no skirts above the knee after 30”, “no pony tails or long hair after 40”, and “no bathing suits after 50”!

I for one am tired of all the rules about what I can and can’t wear. I’m tired of having to constantly think about what’s “age appropriate”. I’d like to see us all be able to just pick out what we like, or what makes us comfortable, or what we determine is flattering on us. And, believe me, that’s hard enough to do in a world of clothes geared toward young bodies without adding the stigma that saggy or wrinkly skin is not to be seen.

I plan on wearing my skirts above the knee or below the knee or to my ankle. I plan on wearing my hair long, short, and medium length, in a pony tail and down. I plan on wearing a bathing suit and shorts and tank tops, jeans and sweaters and leggings! I plan on wearing it all depending on the occasion, the look I’m going for and the weather for the rest of my life. But I’ll be the one to decide what’s appropriate, what I’m comfortable exposing.

In the video I said I wanted to get out my sledgehammer and pound away at those rules until all women of all ages, shapes, colors, and sizes feel free to be seen in public in whatever makes them comfortable & happy, and I hope you’ll join me!

Because, after all, we are all going to be wrinkly if we’re lucky enough to live that long, so isn’t it time we all start being a little less judgmental and a little more accepting?