<p>Some of us were never considered pretty. We also had better things to do than spend a lot of time primping. I still can’t believe how much attention so many women pay to their superficial looks. Most men certainly don’t, why should women- double standard? We aren’t trying to get a mate at our ages, either. Who cares how your body ages? Be thankful your brain remains good.</p>
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You must have seen me. I think slender, long-haired, graying, comfortable cotton is the way to go. I actually find a lot of the clothing considered stylish to be deplorable and unattractive. Tight skirts with bulging bellies, high heels forcing women to walk with stumpy clumpy steps. Keep your fashions, because I am comfortable. and modestly dressed and I don’t give flip if you are snickering about how unstylish I am.</p>
<p>I was certainly never one of the pretty girls in HS, and haven’t paid a lot of attention since then. My husband admits he was as attracted to my brain as my body (and he was a 19 year old male…)
I think that a little bit of “keeping current” in our physical looks makes us also keep up to date in other areas, like current films, music, technology, world events.<br>
After 15 years of getting my hair cut in Che Bathroom, I got to the point where it really looked better if someone with talent cut it at least twice a year.</p>
<p>Whoa, cross posted with anxiousmom…that wasn’t at all what I meant to convey. I’ve never worn heels or tight clothes. Shop at Lands End, etc. which is why I was strolling through Sears. It was the idea that someone was wearing a dress made on a pattern that I’m quite sure I made before my college grad was born. Fabrics fade. Styles change. You can still be modest and comfortable in things that are stylish and affordable today.</p>
<p>Wis75- that’s pretty judgmental! I care how I look and present myself but don’t spend a lot of time “primping”. I’ve managed to accomplish a lot in my life professionally and athletically while still attending to my “superficial looks”. There is nothing wrong with a comfortable, casual style. I wear sport sandals and Tom’s, too. I also know that it has helped me professionally to have my own unique style and I appreciate the compliments.</p>
<p>I mean- where do you want to draw the line? Is Retin-A “superficial” or is it OK but Botox isn’t? Or maybe Botox but not any plastic surgery? Are manicures “primping”? What about handcream? Geez. Is a little blush OK but oh my God who would wear eyeliner?</p>
<p>We aren’t all the same.</p>
<p>I like wearing comfortable slacks and shorts, as well as nice t-shirts & polos. Some folks are more comfortable in more dressy outfits & some in less. D & I smile at one another knowing both of us “clean up well.” In fact, at my younger sister’s wedding, several of my sibs and a nice didn’t recognize me with my hair styled, make up, & primping. It’s OK with me & I like how I look both ways.</p>
<p>Whatever folks are happy and comfortable with, can afford & decide to do about their appearance is fine with me. I’ve always been attractive enough and expect to remain so, as my folks have before me & continue to be, as well as my sibs. My H likes the whole package–appearance, body, & mind. Ditto for me.</p>
<p>I still wear clothes that were my grandmothers & my mothers and they are way more than 25 years old. Camel hair coats, cashmere sweaters, silk gowns & wool jackets will
last a long time if they are taken care of & IMO are more “stylish” than much of the clothing sold at the mall this weekend.</p>
<p>Today I walked around in yoga pants, sneakers, my hair in a pony tale, my only make up was sunscreen and lipstick and sunglasses. Yet I had cute bangs, my yoga pants fit well and were flattering, my roots werent showing, my nails were nice, my posture was good, my body was in shape. it’s not about primping its about taking pride in oneself. To not bother is sad.</p>
<p>Also I know many women looking to date at our age. And its not about mating, it’s about loving oneself and presenting to the world an amazing woman who makes herself number one.</p>
<p>As for men, most men i know are pretty aware of how they look, whether they advertise the fact or not. </p>
<p>As for double standard, okay. Do I give a man who looks like he just came out of s cave much of a second glance, nope. How much do men spend Viagra, hair loss products, gym memberships, cars, etc. Most men do care, some have given up, but men do care aboutnhow they look.</p>
<p>I for sure care how m,y body ages…from my skin to my joints to my heart to my feet to my hearing to my love handles to my muscles to my eyes to my…</p>
<p>Edit: You probably won’t be able to snicker at me with my slender frame and long graying hair swept back with (gasp) a clip at the mall, because I won’t BE at the mall.</p>
<p>When H and I get ready to go out, more often than not, I am ready before him. He does as much primping as I do. His haircut is more expensive mine. I know a lot of men who work out, watch what they eat, care about what they wear. I even personally know few men who have done plastic surgery. I much prefer men who care about how they look than the ones who have let themselves go (like giving up). </p>
<p>I have 3 nephews. They are particular about their clothes. Their T shirs and shorts may look casual, but they need to look a certain way and of a certain brand. Guys will spend hours to make their hair part or stand in a certain way.</p>
<p>Our kids are both particular about clothing–they want clothing that looks good on them; both have enough basic clothing that they will only get something new if it looks and makes them feel fantastic. They have worked to have good muscle tone and be fit and strong. Like us, the prefer classic looks and styles.</p>
<p>H & I wear a range of clothing–some purchased very recently while others were purchased decades ago and still fit great and look new. No one in our family spends more than 30 minutes or so getting ready to leave the house, including taking a quick shower (as desired), selecting & putting on an outfit, doing hair & D putting on makeup. It works for us.</p>
<p>Well, bravo for slender frames! If she were not caught in a “time warp” I’m sure she would have put on a few matronly pounds and looked her age. ;)</p>
<p>And I happen to like the “aging hippie” look, if you can pull it off. It’s when GUYS try to look like hippies with long graying comb-overs and a pot belly that it doesn’t work so well.</p>
<p>My H still has a six pack ( possibly because he doesn’t drink them!)
but he has the same blond ponytail that he has worn for 25 years. I don’t like it but it’s his hair.</p>
<p>I like to try to keep myself up and I don’t see what’s wrong with that. For those on CC who are also my Facebook friends, one of my cover photos is me dressed up for a formal event, where I think I look pretty darn good and not at all my age (47). The other is a picture of me at the 5k I just completed, in which I’m sweaty and dirty but grinning like mad. I think both pictures of myself are beautiful, to be honest.</p>
<p>Lol at “over 50”.
Son, women lose their looks in their late 30’s.</p>
<p>And then there are some people who spend their whole lives ugly because it emanates from the inside…</p>
<p>When we get ready to go out we are usually running around half-dressed and screaming and laughing. My DD and I will try on a gazillion outfits, discuss what goes with what, borrow from each other’s closet. My DH and if home our DS will act above it all, then start hollering themselves right before it’s time to leave because they don’t know what to wear!</p>
<p>It’s always chaos and always fun. We look okay, too. :)</p>
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<p>I remember someone on CC being horrified when she saw herself on TV. The thing is, unless it’s your job to be beautiful (e.g. model or actress), most women aren’t perfect enough in the features, clothes, hair and makeup to look beautiful on TV. It’s the real life personality that adds to people’s beauty. </p>
<p>It’s always interesting to randomly see a of someone you really really like and think “who’s that chubby grey haired woman?” Then you realize who it is, and she instantly becomes more beautiful.</p>
<p>I do think that personality can enhance a person’s looks but I don’t agree that all women are beautiful. </p>
<p>I often find myself looking at someone and really appreciating the shape of their nose or the color of their eyes, etc. but I really think that beautiful is a word that is reserved for a minority of people.</p>
<p>The point, IMO, is not believing that you or every other woman is beautiful, but rather, accepting what your physical limitations are and enhancing the thing or things about yourself that are your unique strengths and qualities.</p>
<p>Not everyone is beautiful. not everyone is smart. Not everyone is funny. We are what we are and we are all doing the best we can or as well as we WANT to do with it. </p>
<p>I don’t walk around the mall snickering at the way other women are dressed or how they wear their hair, either! I’m to busy checking myself out in every available mirror! Just kidding.</p>
<p>I enjoy looking at people, and I do wonder why people dress or look a certain way.</p>
<p>We are at a resort where a lot of Californians go to, and I have never seen so many white hair braided older women. You wouldn’t see that in the NE or South.</p>