I Look My Age, No Matter How I Look
A couple of weeks ago in a yoga class I heard a woman (maybe in her 50s) say to another woman, “It’s my birthday today, and my friend’s son said I don’t look a day over 40.”
The other woman said, “Oh wow, what a compliment!”
Wait, what?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself WHY being told you look younger is supposed to be a compliment?
These days it feels to me like an insult wrapped in a big pink bow. Am I really supposed to be honored that someone thinks I look younger than my age?
What does that even mean? Who judges what a certain age *looks like*?
Here’s the thing: we’re basically being told it’s terrible to get old. Looking past a certain age is not attractive anymore, and so, you will be assuaged to know you don’t look THAT age.
Are you following me?
We’ve all gotten the message that over a certain age, you’re “old” and nobody wants to look at you. You’re only worth your outsides.
Sadly, this is ESPECIALLY true for women.
It’s the reason we see women contorting themselves with plastic surgery, fillers, Botox, and the like. Our culture ties up our value and identity in the wrong ideas.
I believe we can continue to cultivate beauty as we age, and it starts from the inside.
I’m not saying that beauty is all on the inside (we’ve all been fed this lie, too, and none of us 100% believes it).
Cultivate beauty from the inside by:
🌹Feeding yourself spiritually
🌹Feeling yourself with whole food, as is good for YOU
🌹Getting enough sleep, rest, exercise
🌹Cultivating joy
🌹Connecting with people you love
🌹Shedding the unnecessary
I have seen gorgeous older people with the GLOW of doing the above. And sure, maybe the older woman loves fashion and adorns herself with clothes that make her feel good, a swipe of red lipstick, and a tiny diamond at her throat. But it’s not only what's showing up on the outside that makes her shine.
I plan to be HER.
Let’s be proud of our years on earth (and our hard earned wisdom).
Let’s re-imagine this getting older thing together, please.