Embracing the seasons of our life doesn’t meant we have to fall into a stereotype Ladies! There are certain things that some women feel compelled to wear as they get older which scream I’M OLD!

Be it for comfort or worse, fear of people thinking the dreaded “she’s too old to wear that,” certain things often creep into our wardrobes as we women age. I’m not even convinced we always see it happen.

Do we allow the young scrawny women who are flaunted all over every magazine and TV commercial to intimidate us as we shrink away into “old,” hanging our heads and being embarrassed about aging? Are we embarrassed by the wrinkles or gray hair we’ve earned from raising kids, working and making our contributions to this world, like those scrawny women? Ever feel that way?

The answer is NO! Heck NO! We are proud of our legacies. We hold our heads high because we are the matriarchs of society! We lead the way.

Our own kids are often the worst critics, boldly telling us we are too old to wear certain things or snickering behind our backs.  I know. I have three of the adorable little monsters. Of course, they were doing that when they were teenagers and I told them to stuff it them. Why not now?

For reasons I’ll never understand, young people think they have the market on life, style and the future. They’re wearing the same styles we wore way before they were born, like bell-bottoms! They think they are immortal and will be young forever. Were we like that? Well maybe. No probably.

Here’s what I say to them.  We were here first. If it weren’t for us bringing you into this world, working to pave the path to an easier life for you and the wisdom of those before us, you would still be living in a cave wearing loin cloths. Stick that in your ear if you can ever get it beyond your cell phone! But in hind sight we probably did the same thing. Except it was a pink princess home land line.

I remember how foreign it was to see my grandmother in a pair of jeans! All I had ever seen her in was dresses. I wonder if she felt a little out of place. Did we make her feel that way? I remember thinking she was pretty hip.

There’s no rules about what we do or don’t wear when we reach different ages. Style doesn’t matter. Class does. It has nothing to do with age. Wear what YOU love and feel good in. My only rule is I’ll never embarrass my grandkids by wearing something risqué with these old body parts hanging out, but as far as the latest styles or even the old ones I’ve worn for years and love, I’m not changing. Why would I? I owe nobody an explanation except myself.

Call me bold, but when my daughter got married her wedding was a black and white lakeside evening affair. Everyone was wearing long black or gray dresses. She called me and asked me to please wear something different. What else is there? I wore red. I worked out and dieted long and hard to look my best and the dress was tasteful and classy.  When I came out from behind the tent there was an audible gasp. But a lot of women told me they loved it and planned on wearing red to their daughter’s wedding. The ones who didn’t approve. Don’t wear red to your daughter’s wedding! 

Define old. I don’t feel old. My 87-year-old mother who is as spry or more so than me just told me she feels just like she did when she was 18. My dad used to tell me, “sometimes I look in the mirror and wonder what that young man is doing in this old man’s body.” Makes me sad to think back about it, especially since I can now relate! One thing I’ve learned, the body gets old, but you don’t unless you allow it.

I don’t want to feel old and I’ll never feel obligated to head to the “old ladies” clothing racks. It’s up to me to keep myself feeling young and looking as young as possible. It’s a choice. What I will do is make every effort to keep myself in shape, watch my weight, keep my hair style and make-up up to date and try to look good in what I choose to wear.  Regardless of what you wear, be it fun, casual or dressy remember, you can buy taste, you can’t buy class.

Most importantly, be proud of who you are, what you’ve accomplished and your legacy at any age. Ladies. Embrace Your Seasons.

Many of the answers to an online survey I did asking what came to mind when people thought about what old women wear are on the above list. Funny, I made my list before I did the survey. It’s a mindset. It’s not a rule. We can change it.

Please leave your comments below and share WHAT’S ON YOUR LIST?