Daily Dose: 51
Feminism in 3D: Defy, Disobey, Disrupt
Logo: Sheyam Ghieth
For too long, I have been told I “didn’t look” whatever age that I was. It is said to me as if it were a compliment. It is not. It is instead the loathing of aging that we are socialized into. How am I to stand in the power of my age—and that is how I feel at 57: powerful—when I am being “praised” for looking younger than I am? Not for all the money in the world would I go back to being younger. My 20s without exception and at least half of my 30s were miserable because I felt I had no power. And now here I am, with more power, being told I “didn’t look” this age I feel I’ve finally earned. Stop praising people for not “looking their age.”
Ageing can be liberating in so many ways. We are free of the insecurities and doubts that plagued us in our youth. We are more confident and less inclined to tolerate BS. The people pleasing we engaged in, we now regard as a waste of our precious time and energy. We say what we really mean without fear or constant apology. I wouldn't turn back the clock even if I could. Older women are too often undervalued and underestimated. It's time to show the world our worth. We're sassy, loud and proud.