Should women grow old gracefully?

Hitchens

Joan Collins, 80 last week, and still trying to look as alluring as when she was 30.
Is it only 'celebrities' who carry on like this or do ordinary women try to emulate them?


in fairness she's looking fair fit

WindSock

Why not try to look your best at any age? Not all women want end up as short haired old wrinklebags in flowery dresses and pastel jumpers, dragging one of those wheeled bag things behind them on the way to the shops to pick up some cans of peas.

hardCopy

It costs a lot of money to look like that at 80.

mike65

Some are blessed with good genes others with a bank balance. Actually Joan Collins has always been "fit" she was still getting her kit off at at about 50 on screen.

Pasty is how is should be!

I want to grow old eccentrically and disgracefully, and with humour.

Warning

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I'm tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick flowers in other people's gardens
And learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go
Or only bread and pickle for a week
And hoard pens and pencils and beermats and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
And pay our rent and not swear in the street
And set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.

But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.


Jenny Joseph

pwurple

That Joan Collins photo is neither alluring or graceful. Fair play to her for being very successful, and she knows her audience alright, so much kudos there. Low cut leopard print at any age.. Yikes.

Citycap

Whatever age you are you should try to look your best. It is great for your confidence. I know some older women who are very physically attractive and are well able to attract the men. They avoid the mutton dressed as lamb look but still are well able to show a nice bit of leg etc

username123

Even though the clothes, hair, make up and shoes are all awful and tacky looking, she doesnt look 80.

But fair play to her, she looks great for her age, she seems to still have a zest for life and for wanting to look good (what she thinks looks good and what I think look good are two different things - but thats irrelevant).

Better to be like that than to be an old and frail with a wispy blue rinse.

Mariasofia

Never I plan to grow old as disgracefully as possible

Galwayguy35

Genes can play a part in not looking ones age, although I suspect Joan might have had a little help but so what she looks good for 80.

Sleepy

Growing old gracefully to me means continuing to take care of yourself but not trying to dress or act like an 18 year old.

The guys in their 50's with their beer guts stretching their Utd shirts to bursting and hitting on the college going barmaid are as bad as the oul wans wearing leopard print and carrying on like teenage girls the first time their parents have let them go to the pub on their own imo.

cantdecide

A lot of people choose to not evolve with age. I know guys my age (early thirties) who still dress like they did in their late teens. I believe it can turn into a real identity crisis for some to let go of the person they were and can see how some people appear doomed to repeat the things that 'worked' for them in their glory days.

Legs.Eleven

When you say gracefully, do you mean without cosmetic surgery?

Hitchens

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

When you say gracefully, do you mean without cosmetic surgery?

a little bit of a nip and tuck is ok, as long as it's not overdone

Legs.Eleven

Hitchens wrote: »

a little bit of a nip and tuck is ok, as long as it's not overdone

But in my mind, gracefully doesn't equate to bag lady. I'm asking you the question because I don't know what you're getting at. When you say "gracefully", what do you mean? Joan Collins has had a heap of plastic surgery, so is this what you consider growing old gracefully? When people say that, they usually mean aging naturally with no nips and tucks.


Genuine questions and not having a go at you btw. I want to understand what you mean before I answer you.

Hitchens

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

But in my mind, gracefully doesn't equate to bag lady. I'm asking you the question because I don't know what you're getting at. When you say "gracefully", what do you mean? Joan Collins has had a heap of plastic surgery, so is this what you consider growing old gracefully? When people say that, they usually mean aging naturally with no nips and tucks.


Genuine questions and not having a go at you btw. I want to understand what you mean before I answer you.

I don't know whether she has had much plastic surgery, but if you say she has I believe you.

Her pose in the photo is what you'd expect from a celebrity, but perhaps not from an ordinary 80 year old woman.

But hey, what harm anyway? I was just wondering if this is what women think is bang on trend!

The Corinthian

This thread reminds me of a scenario that Luigi Pirandello once wrote about. In it he describes an older woman, overdone with make-up and desperate to look younger, as she fears her man, who is her junior, may leave her.

Growing older gracefully I think is that middle ground between making no effort and too much effort to do so.

And all this applies to men too - in particular the 'no effort' variety.

Legs.Eleven

I'd personally like to grow old gracefully without the botox and plastic surgery but that's just me. I've no problems with it generally but it's not my bag. I try to look my best without the extreme preening. Just be reasonably fit and healthy and dress in clothes that flatter me with some make up. I hope lack of plastic surgery doesn't mean I've let myself go when I'm an older woman.

anewme

I think Joan Collins looks great for 80!

I think women should grow old gracefully, or disgracefully whatever suits them and more power to their elbow.

Love, love, love the poem about wearing purple - sent it to a few girls in work and we had a good old laugh at it.

Twee.

Great blog about women who have continued or decide to dress eccentrically or with great style in their later years! http://advancedstyle.blogspot.ie/ and this particular post http://advancedstyle.blogspot.ie/2013/05/if-you-want-to-dress-like-advanced.html