Dee is one of the coolest chicks I have ever met. She's around 42 now, and was single until 35. She had her first child at 37. A proud African American, she spent a good portion of her younger years traveling whenever we had more then two days off in a row to different countries in Africa. She is full of some of the most interesting stories I have ever heard.
So last night they had a break down that didn't involve me (Yay!), which means I had lots of screw off time. Dee did also, and we used the time to catch up a bit. She cringed with me as I told her of my nephew's little girlfriend. I laughed at her stories of her now 5 year old son who is positively spoiled rotten.
We got on the subject of women and how we seem so much different then women were at our age when we were younger. Dee said, "My Mother looked 42. I don't look 42, do I?" No, she doesn't. You could still mistake her for at least a 30 year old. I think...
Because I realized...It is a lot harder now then it was then to know how old someone is. Is it because celebrities are now botoxed and plastic so they never seem to age? Is it because we take better care of ourselves and our skin then the previous generations? Is it because we now take the dangers of baking in the sun more seriously and now opt for sunscreen?
Or is it because I am now in my 30's and Dee is in her 40's??
I think my answer would have to be D. All of the above.
Celebrities definitely do not age like they used to. Case in point, look at this pic of Farrah. I believe she was about 29 in this pic.
Can you imagine a celebrity taking a pic with those kinds of smile lines now? Maybe we just have better air brushing, but in this pic she looks 29, or by today's standards, even older.
My skin is way better then hers in this pic. I bet I look at least 5 years younger then her, and I'm 33. This is not wishful thinking, as I still get carded all the time.
My Mom, being Irish, was very fair. My brother and sister inherited my Father's darker Indian skin, and I seem to have come out somewhere in the middle. I look fair, but tan well. This did not stop my Mother from slathering me in sunscreen anytime I was near an open window.
*side note* Thank you Mom!!!
I think this has a lot to do with my resistance to aging, as my Mother also looks way younger then her age. She avoided the sun like a vampire. We were also a more "progressive" aka freakin' weird family that took all kinds of herbs and vitamins and natural remedies before they were hip or cool.
"Wait just a minute," Dee interjected in our discussion. "It's all about attitude. Our attitude is different now. I got a tattoo when I was 40. My Mother would have never done that. She was to busy taking care of five kids to worry about being cool or what she looked like."
Ahhh, another possible reason. Most parents neglect their selves once children come along. Are we a more "me" generation now where we take time for ourselves and don't feel guilty about it?
The last, nagging reason for this phenomenon is because we are at that age. My Grandpa always used to say, "Old is 20 years older then what you are." He's 90 now, so I guess old to him is 110. hmmm.
Now that we Gen X'ers have hit our 30's and 40's do we just seem younger then our previous counterparts because we are in our 30's and 40's? Perhaps our parents thought the same thing about their parents.
I prefer to think it's just because they looked really freakin' old. What do you think?
Farrah pic swiped from http://www.geocities.com/farrahfawcett2/. I will take it down if they disagree with my usage.
1 comment:
Okay, Annie stole everything I wanted to say and said it better! So, ditto. Yep, just what she said.
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