A friend of mind posted a link to a piece that was a sound bite on fashion and age: what's right, what's wrong, what's acceptable & what's outlandish. In watching it I was immediately reminded of this elderly mother and daughter team that I got such a kick out of when we lived in Nelson which, by the way, is a beautiful cozy little city nestled in the Kootenay Mountains that happens to be a magnet for super freaks, pot growers and fringe dwellers. With that in mind, this duo was not particularly unusual for the area being it attracts such an eclectic populous. However, they caught my eye every time we were in the same vicinity. Firstly, they both had blue-white hair... sometimes purple-white, short and heavily permed. Secondly, they dressed alike, as in identical and from another era. Thirdly they wore an excessive amount of make-up... we're talking thick, pale foundation, super duper blue eyeshadow with black eyeliner, hot pink circles on their cheeks and ruby red lips. Top that off with a generous dollop of powder and they were good to go! They didn't seem to notice that they stood out amongst the tatted and pierced throngs in their hemp shirts, long skirts and dreads. It was such an interesting contrast yet there was something besides the makeup and clothing that stuck me. What I noticed about these ladies is that they just didn't care what other people thought; they were quite fine with how they presented themselves and carried themselves accordingly. Just the way it should be.
I sometimes think that that is one (maybe the only), good thing about the aging process. That freedom to express yourself in ways that make you happy. In this video the women involved called it 'dressing up'; permission for which they hadn't given themselves since childhood. Was it over the top? Sure. Was it gaudy? Some of it. Was there feather boa's and excessive jewelry involved? Yup. Was it sloppy? Absolutely not! Was it fun? You bet! These women dressed in ways that gave them color and dimension at a time when one's world is often so filled with grey. Their sense of fashion was what gave them flavor... and their flavor was spicy! It was refreshing to see it from that perspective. We're so scared of standing out, so busy trying to 'fit in' that we ignore our own personal creativity. And I'm not just talking fashion here either; creativity comes in many shapes and forms. (For an excellent example of what I'm talking about, rent the 1971 cult classic, "Harold & Maude"... Maude most definitely had flavor! Oh, and it has an awesome Cat Stevens soundtrack as a bonus.)
So, the moral of the story here is to not let your age dictate what you should or should not feel, and express it unabashedly. Play if you want to, learn a language, build a birdhouse or try your hand at pottery should that make you happy. Just explore and enjoy! I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to wear more hats, paint a picture and pull out the old Barbie's.
Now that's got 'fun' written all over it!
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