Turning 50: Redefining Growing old on Our Phrases

Rising up, one adage that I knew to be true was that you just completely don’t ask a lady her age. It was all the time one thing to be coy about—the implication being that not solely was it intrusive to ask, however that it’s greatest to not put the lady within the uncomfortable scenario the place both she is is likely to be judged … or may lie. Age was all the time the elephant within the room however as Bob Dylan mentioned … 🎵 the instances they’re a’altering 🎶 .

An increasing number of girls are getting comfy embracing and sharing their age with satisfaction and I feel it’s due largely to the truth that girls have begun to redefine what it means to age on our personal phrases. Whether or not it’s by means of skincare routines, well being regimens, or just the selection to flaunt our silver strands (or not), fashionable girls are shifting past outdated stereotypes and now have the liberty to outline our personal narratives. 

How Turning 50 Used to Look

Once I was a younger woman, 50+ yr previous girls all the time seemed a selected approach. I’m certain you’ve seen the memes concerning the Golden Women, or keep in mind from the present, Dorothy, Rose and Blanche had been women in their 50s. On this formative time in my girlhood after I was watching the present (I used to be 10 when it got here out in 1985), they seemed like my grandmothers and had been energetic like my grandmothers however the motive it stands out a lot now could be that by means of in the present day’s lens they give the impression of being a lot older.

I’m turning 50 in a couple of months, I can’t assist however take into consideration what it should have been like throughout that point, and feeling like that was the embodiment of being in your 50s. 

How Turning 50 Has Modified

Over time, the portrayal of getting old has actually modified. 10 years in the past The Today Show put collectively a slideshow of being in your 50s “then and now” that confirmed stark distinction, particularly among the many girls. One notable superstar featured was Courteney Cox alongside Aunt Bee from The Andy Griffith present.

In an interview in 2013 in New You journal Cox herself spoke about getting old. The interviewer famous that there have been a variety of exhibits on the time the place the primary character was in her 40s or 50s (Cox was starring on the present Cougar Town) to which Cox attributed that to, “I really feel like nobody actually seems to be their age anymore.” Additional within the article, she talks about her worry of turning 50 and likewise her use of anti-aging merchandise together with injectables, which on the time was not usually brazenly mentioned, particularly amongst celebrities.

Quick ahead to in the present day—actually there’ll all the time be individuals who really feel it’s nobody’s enterprise to know their age and so they may even lie about it for worry it might jeopardize their careers, relationships, and many others., however it’s changing into extra frequent that girls are proudly saying their age and embracing it as a result of extra girls are getting old on their very own phrases. There isn’t any longer one look that represents a selected age. 

Immediately, celebrities will endorse and host infomercials speaking about anti-aging merchandise that give them “confidence in my physique and positively my pores and skin” (Jane Seymore for Crepe Erase). They may even stand outdoors the US Capitol shouting to a crowd, “I’m in menopause, OK?” and insisting that “the disgrace must be taken out of menopause. Now we have to speak about this very regular a part of our life that occurs. Our docs can’t even say the phrase to us, not to mention stroll us by means of the journey,” (Halle Berry in May 2024). 

Immediately’s girl has area to age as she desires to—injectables and menopause hormone remedies are spoken of collectively across the espresso store, not whispered quietly about in line for the Women Room. There’s nobody “proper” method to be 50—or any age, for that matter.

Personally, my 50 will embody lotions and serums, hair shade (spoiler alert, I’m not naturally crimson), inexperienced drinks, hopefully a couple of extra marathons and conversations with my mates concerning the present state of my perimenopause journey. However I can confidently say that these merchandise and my wardrobe aren’t about some quest to be perceived as younger as a result of I’ll inform anybody who asks my age. After which once more, perhaps sometime I’ll need attractive silver hair or to put on glasses on a regular basis, however I like that now it’s as much as me.

Your 50 will look completely totally different from mine—and the way cool is that?! Every of us has the chance to create our personal path ahead … and to personal it.

Hey, yeah … 50 is the brand new 50!

Share your individual experiences and insights about turning 50 and past. —Tam