Age-Appropriate Fashion Rules

Oh, no they didn’t! I just have to say something about this. On an episode of the Today Show last month, the team reported on a survey that collected the thoughts of women across our nation. The topic was age-appropriateness related to clothing and hair. To my surprise, the survey results put an incredibly strict lockdown on fashion rules for today’s ladies over the age of 35! Not only did the opinions state that older women could not wear two piece bathing suits or miniskirts, they even went so far as to say that women over 50 need to ditch the high heels and long hair! In fact, the report said that women over 60 should not even venture into a bathing suit of any kind, or even populate the poolside!

Now, America, you know that I will tell it like it is, right? Well, in my opinion, this is bullshit. As a physician I have seen many unhealthy and unkempt young people. Their inside and outside is in bad shape from abusing their bodies with poor nutrition, drugging, drinking and smoking. I’ve seen it all. On the other hand I have seen older people into their senior years that have bodies that look both inside and out like works of art.

When I was sporting my bikini on Memorial Day Weekend at Ocean City Maryland, I don’t consider other people’s turned-heads a sign of their thinking that I look inappropriate. So perhaps I am mistaken if I say I look good for my age. But it’s fairly clear that when others mistake me for my son’s girlfriend, that I look younger than my actual age. In fact, one boyfriend did not believe that I was older him until I produced my license to prove my birth date! Now, try and tell me that I am not allowed to wear bikinis because I’m a certain age!

So I say wear and do whatever you want to do. If wrinkly and rich Hugh Hefner can marry a 24 year old playmate, then the rest of us can certainly wear bikinis and long hair past the age that Hugh would date. Heck, I even go blonde in the summer (and y’all know I am a black woman)!

Ladies… forget what the opinion surveys say. What is most important is that healthy bodies and people of all ages in all kinds of fashion are beautiful. What is ugly, however, is sickness. So let grandma wear her bikini, but make sure that both grandma – and you – are eating nutritious foods, and avoiding vices that do damage to your health.

Reference:

http://blogs.webmd.com/tv-checkup/2011/05/too-old-for-bikinis-miniskirts-stilettoes.html