What happens when someone in their thirties or even forties meets a 19-year-old? A complete and total fashion disaster that leaves kids and spouses ducking for cover, wishing they didn’t have to be caught dead in public with their mother or spouse. Yet, despite how ridiculous it all looks put together—halter tops with skinny jeans and wrinkles to boot—far too many women try to effortlessly pull it off. They mix and match shoes, makeup, hairstyles, and hair colors from far too many decades and end up looking like they just walked off the streets—no matter how expensive their ensemble was. And worse yet, these older women flaunt it, wearing pink high heels and mini-skirts that show far too much of their package—and, frankly, things that aren’t meant to be seen. Do they think it’s cool or sexy? Are they trying to defy age or live in the past? Do they have any clue how silly and sad they look?
AND….What is so bad about dressing your age?
Dressing with Elegance and Confidence
First of all, women who try to mimic their teenage daughters while carrying their 30- or 40-something body (a body they should be proud of) will immediately take issue with this article. They’ll say things like, “I can dress how I want. I work hard for this body. I look good in those clothes. This is what makes ME feel good. I am not trying to be something I am not.” And even more telling—”YOU’RE JUST JEALOUS!” Yes, they will think that anyone who gives them a sideward glance because their muffin top is hanging over their jeans (along with their breasts) is just jealous and wishes, deep down, that they had the body (or the wife) along with the guts it must take to leave the house in clothes meant for the stick-figure body of a blossoming teen. Let’s be real. Just because something comes in your size doesn’t mean you’re meant to wear it.
The hard, cold facts of getting older seem to throw many women for a loop. They feel somehow that they are destined for embroidered tops with fleece pants to match, mom jeans, and the bowl haircut that seems to reside on the heads of most women over 40. But that is absolutely not true. In fact, there are some really cute, adorable, refined, and sexy clothes that women can find outside of stores meant for teenagers. These clothes could truly flaunt what these women have to offer, while remaining tasteful and appropriate. Come on, ladies—what was so great about being a teen, or even a twenty-something?
Okay, so who’s going to tell her? Are you going to stop a lady in the grocery store, or tell your mom, wife, sister, or friend that she dresses too young for her age? If you don’t, you’re just as much to blame for the blasphemy as she is. Chances are, you sit idly by and watch her get dressed, without so much as a “Are you really going to wear that?” This makes you partly to blame. After all, we cannot let the people we love or are friends with become one of those women—you know, the kind that everyone is talking about behind her back but no one has the guts to confront. It becomes obvious over time when she continues to wear clothes meant for youth—that she isn’t getting the message, and she feels everyone in the world is just jealous of her.
Certainly, there is a medical term coined just for this phenomenon. The sad part is that no woman should feel either confined or judged by the clothes that they wear. And even sadder is that this poor woman is waving a red flag, showing just how distressed she is emotionally with the status of her age. Why? It isn’t just her to blame. In society, women are often given the subliminal and outward message that we have to be beautiful. And very few times does aging and beauty combine. In fact, we toss away most stars and celebrities as soon as their age begins to catch up with their face. We replace them with younger and more attractive women, forgetting that the beauty of a woman is not just her youth but her experience as well.
Given the choice of getting to know two women—one young and flamboyant, the other older and sophisticated—90% of us would choose the latter. So, what’s wrong with dressing our age? Few women would go back to those uncertain, helter-skelter years of youthful existence, given the chance. So why do we try to look like that again? And even fewer women would want their daughters to suffer in silence in a world that seems to identify women as EITHER pretty or ugly. Age does not make a woman ugly.
No, you shouldn’t be told what to wear. You should be able to make decisions for yourself based on what makes you feel good. You have the right to wear the clothes you find sexy. The thing is, if you are one of those women afraid to dress your age, you don’t look your best. Those looks you get? They’re in awe, not admiration or jealousy. Your daughter doesn’t want you to raid her closet, and the juniors section is meant for juniors. This doesn’t mean you can’t be fashionable, hot as a firecracker, and sexy as hell—you can. Just not in those clothes!
