Pamela Redmond Satran has penned a book called How Not to Act Old. I stumbled across her sage advice on More.com, the online version of MORE Magazine which "celebrates" women over 40. Click here to read offending list.
For the 40+ woman concerned that she's actually acting her age, don't do the following:
- Tweet about housework, enjoying time with your mate and family.
- Go to the beach well equipped with gear, food, things you need
- Wear socks to bed with your partner
- Cut your hair short
- Get nostalgic about what happened in the 80s
- Openly discuss hot flashes
- Give advice to young men
Well Ms. Satran, you are entitled to your opinion, and I'm quite sure that there are millions of self-conscious 40+ women getting sucked in, BUT! Damn you More Magazine, when are you going to get it? Size 0 models sporting the fashions we are supposed to desire, the Photo-shopped faces of 40+ women adorning your glossy pages, are making me sick.
Shouldn't celebrating 40+ be focused on celebrating reality? Or have the editors decided that the magazine is about teaching us old broads how to stay 25 or at least wish we could? There is a regular feature called This Is What 50 Looks Like: Madonna. Sure enough, there is a 50 year old female celebrity who has a stylist, personal trainer, nutritionist, full-time Botox administrator, a shelf of wigs photographed through gauze, and we look at her and sigh at our obvious defects.
So now I can't just look old, I also can't ACT OLD????? Hey, here's an idea... maybe More Magazine and Pamela Satran should stop using the word "old" like a dagger and start celebrating women over 40!
Your friend,
Mary Rogers, Age 46
Your friend,
Mary Rogers, Age 46
4 comments:
Gawd, Girl, you are SO right on. In fact, I'm sure along with my REALLY SHORT HAIR (OK, it's bleached platinum blond with black roots -- is THAT cool?), I am "acting old" by saying "Gawd, Girl", which is really an out-of-date gay thing, right?
Yes, all this self-consciousness and rule-i-ness (the opposite of truthiness) is contrary to the very message of that magazine, and a major insult to its readers.
I mean... !
PS Now I feel better, having vented and all. If it weren't for these damn hot flashes. And how tired I am from giving young men advice. Sheesh!
Yeah Mary! I'm going to be celebrating one of those milestone birthdays this year and no, it's not 50, it's the next one. Every stage of life is a gift and should be celebrated. I'll never be 25 again and don't miss it. Getting older has many gifts so just sign me in as...
Looking forward, not back!
So when can we start looking our age? The media is showing tweens dressing like adults, teenagers looking like they are over 21 and now when I finally thought I could stop dying my hair and tweet about cooking or my family I am not supposed to??
I think that we need to teach our girls to love themselves as they are... my 5 year old daughter came out of her room yesterday and asked if she looked "thin" in her jeans. I think we will go back to only letting her watch movies... no more TV.
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