Wednesday 30 March 2011

Feminism & Ageing



Let's face it when one ages, particularly women, you become almost invisible. Society is predicated on youth. Why even our Prime Ministers are getting younger. Gone are the days when old duffers took charge and rallied on regardless. The thought of an old person in charge of a country seems slightly repellent. But why is this the case? How did the fashion change in respect of clothes and views?

I find the ageing process almost out of my control these days with magazine proffering advice on what to wear and what to inject or what to fill. Phrases like '1661', 16 from the back 61 from the front leave me cold. As does that most hideous one 'mutton dressed as lamb'. Why - well these type of comments are aimed directly at women, not men. Women are encouraged to 'age gracefully'. Once you've mastered the fact you can hold your drink and not be seen as a sexual predator or a flirty or a slut then you've got to go all quiet and well dressed.

And being well dressed means well groomed and a specific size to boot. That is the problem there are too many rules, strictures and fashion edicts on what elicits good taste, style and gosh lets not forget the g word - glamour.

Being female and ageing is a potential minefield. On the one hand you are damned if you let yourself go and on the other if you try too hard. I cannot even begin to proffer an answer to this. Yet there is some food for thought.

Images - how women are portrayed in respect of fashion (otherwise the topic is too big!) The Guardian Weekend magazine does an 'All Ages' spread and on the whole (well when the lovely Priscilla Kwateng does it) it portrays a great fashion spread on, as it says on the tin, women of all ages. Granted the models are tall, slim and well put together but it shows differing ages wearing clothes. Equally some designers are branching out and using older women, larger women than a Eur 36 model. There is an attempt to mix things up however small the contribution.

Power - lets face it, who is in charge, Anna, Grace, Hillary, Jess, Lisa, Emmanuelle, to name a few. With their editorial clout the shift has to happen in respect of a more egalitarian view of women and ageing and fashion. I think they are embracing the shift, and the examples should filter through soon. All eyes are on Paris Vogue. What does this mean, well my hunch is that styling will be less about frission of the sexual sort and more situation based of the woman's everyday life. Women will be placed and contextualised against art, architecture and in situations that represent a shift in power. Less Marie Antoinette more Simone de Beauvoir.


Brands - Something has to give regarding mainstream clothes for older women. Please where is the place for, and the list sums up my view on consigning women to the grave before their time, Phase 8, Per Una in M&S, Kaliko, Fenn Wright Mason, and the blandness that is Artigiano. I could name countless middle of the road, blending in to the background examples of women's clothing companies. It is no wonder that the raptures of well cut clothes from Celine et al captured the imagination of women of all ages. It offers hope in cut, cloth and fashion. I don't expect to be buying much in Topshop at 70 but I will still pop in and browse. I grew up with Topshop.

Style - my only view on what people wear can be summed up by 'why can't people get dressed properly'. What I mean i,s pulling on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt doesn't count. Anyone can do that but can they make you look twice at them? I think as one gets older the duty to get noticed or admired should be the motivating force. What example are we setting if we forget to dress, to add details to be adventurous. It is easy to stop caring but I still want to do my hair, nails, add some makeup, pull together an outfit. I don't want to pass my latter age in a pair of slacks, a top and a gilet. I feel I owe it to young women everywhere to be more Miss Havisham than Margaret Thatcher. I'm not going to be prescriptive and say Jackie O, Audrey Hepburn or even Jane Birkin but I do think colour, cut and having fun will go a long way. That's Not My Age does a wonderful analysis of keeping stylish and enjoying it!

The bits! - Okay so you get wrinkles, you backside spreads or goes south a bit and maybe the veins on your legs are going to be more prominent but so what. This is the issue-why does ageing have to be 'corrected'. Men mature with age so they say, women just get old. Okay maybe a varicose vein isn't a great sight but it is an outcome of a life. Interestingly what has happened with the NHS is lots of nice services for women, like the removal of varicose veins has gone. Regardless of the pain the chances are pretty much nil. What does this say about the value of an older woman or any woman? The trends for enhancements gives women options but are they really worth it? Why is there such pressure for women to deny or stave off the ageing process?

As women we should question the effect of us morphing in to an acceptable look for an older women. Why is there such pressure to remain young and attractive. Who determines what attractive is?

I was very naughty as a few weekends ago I snapped an older woman with my Hipstamatic app on my iPhone on the train in to London, because it doesn't flash or make much of a noise!. I was captivated by how lovely she looked. The varying items she was wearing and how well they suited her. She was wearing lots of colours and she exuded glamour. Not show stopping glitzy glamour but the glamour of poise, an elegance of the mind, her age and her life. I felt dreadful being sneaky but I didn't want to seem patronising or intrude. She seemed to represent an example that we don't often see, an older woman in possession of herself. No short cuts, no attempts to be someone other than who she is at the age she is.



Will I succumb to botox or fillers or liposuction? Can I be brave and individual like Dame Vivienne Westwood.? Will I be bold and age disgracefully, not giving a fig for society and its views? Can I be a woman who along with other women are pioneering in attitude, dress and what they do as they become part of old age? What do you feel about ageing?

27 comments:

  1. Whata great thought provoking post! I don't have the money or the courage for botox although I dream of being wrinkle free. I am kind of glad that I haven't lost my passion for fashion, clothes or shopping and I honestly don't think I ever will, so no doubt there will be become a time when I look like Mutton!

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  2. Great post, Kate. I love being older and I intend to dress more and more outrageously as I age. There's no way I want to become invisible. xxx

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  3. I loved this post! I turn 30 in three months and I can honestly say it doesn't bother me. I've loved getting older, so there's no reason why turning 50 and 60 and 70 shouldn't be just as much fun. I don't think I'll ever lose my love of style!

    That lady on the train looks great by the way - and what fantastic pictures. You would not know they were sneaky!

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  4. Great post.

    Re varicose veins, treatment is available on the NHS- but only if serious (to the extent of 'bleeding out' serious) - and they aren't always age related. Mind you, having seen how the NHS butchered someone I know's legs few years back, I will be cautious if my legs ever get to that stage (which they well might quite soon).

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  5. Love this post and that lady is so lovely.
    I just turned 32 but I feel like I'm coming into my own now and I also take care of my disabled 65 year old mother. I see how she's aging and she's doing it with grace.

    Basically, I don't want to look like a fool. At 32 I don't want to dress as a teenager and at 65 I don't want to be pulled so tight that I look freakish.
    With age comes wisdom and I hope when the time comes, I'll have enough of it to avoid the trap of comparisons and vain desperation.

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  6. Great post! These mirror so many of my own thoughts and questions about age and style. My own style has gone through a shift in recent years. I admire the elegance of the woman you snapped.

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  7. As a pink-haired 53 year old I have 2 words - Advanced Style
    http://www.advancedstyle.blogspot.com
    as to the rest - the minute 'they' realize there's an untapped market for older women not wanting to be beige or buy wrinkle cream then we'll have what 'they' think we want - (which is why I've always shunned the high street - 'they' haven't got a clue, nor would I ever want anyone telling me what to wear/how to look).

    And as to elegance or grace - I'm more a dressing-up box woman :)

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  8. I would have wanted to photograph her as well!!

    Terrific post xx

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  9. I loved this post, thank you for writing it.

    The lady on the train looks very classy and confident in her own skin.

    I have pretty much given up on mainstream shops for clothing because none of it really chimes with how I live my life up here.

    My usual wardrobe consists of jeans, some kind of jumper and a fleece (please, don't keel over at the horribleness of it!) but I need warm, practical clothing that doesn't look frumpy or sporty.

    The shops are full of floaty spring things that must be lovely if you go to parties all the time.

    I really wish that UK high street chains would realise that some of us - although we lead boring lives - would love the opportunity to own something LOVELY and practical. Surely it's not impossible to achieve?

    Thanks again for your post, really well written.

    Ali x

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  10. beautiful. really fabulous of you to take the time to write and share this post!
    xx

    http://charlesbgoode.blogspot.com

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  11. Great post and an interesting topic. I'm 48 and I like it much more than my 20'es. I always wanted to be a mature woman.
    I'm not invisible for those who know me. And for the rest - I don't really care.
    Always do/wear what suits YOU best!

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  12. I'm really annoyed at society's pressure on women to either stay eternally young or become quiet and blend into the background. On the other hand, dressing to be visible to others always has a negative angle to it for me. Being well-dressed can still mean being boldly dressed, and dressing for yourself, even as you age. I think. I haven't experienced it yet, as I am only 24.

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  13. aaaahg........it's just not fair, just when you're begining to get a handle on life.....life shunts you off to a corner with a tartan blanket........ this week one of my yoga class turns 70 and another 96.......such a bunch of brilliant old birds they laugh at my aging complaints and make me feel delightfully young!!

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  14. My friends were discussing this a few weeks ago. The biggest shock comes when you realise at about 55 that you become invisible to the opposite sex, you are not looked at in that way any more. But this does free you to become as eccentric as you like - nobody gives a damn.

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  15. I love the sneaky pix. She does look good and I truly think with an ageing populations, advertisers should take more notice and not pander to the 18-30. They haven't got any money anyway!

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  16. I'm 43 and really enjoyed reading this post. You've done a wonderfully thorough job of taking apart the theory of what it means to grow old gracefully. I will continue to grow old DISgracefully and showcase my continual unravelling of society's expectations of older women on my blog. Thank you for sharing your thoughts here:)) xo

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  17. Dear Kate, great post. I'm with Vix, I want to dress more outrageously as I get older. I've just discovered the blog Advanced Style and I love it, have you seen it? There's a great little film Pearl posted that got me onto it xx

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  18. I wanna age disgracefully.

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  19. Great post and so well written Kate. Was nodding along in agreement in so many places. I've started releasing that as I get older, I take more notice of other women's style as opposed to how old they are. I think great style is so personal that by default it becomes ageless. I never want to succumb to the uniform that you see on so many older women. In fact I would be very happy to look as good as the lady you snapped on the train. She looks fantastic!

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  20. Great post and thanks for the mention! But I think good jeans and a t-shirt do count - it's how you wear them - and you know my opinion of The Guardian's All Ages feature.

    I want to be like Vivienne Westwood when I'm (even) older!

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  21. you're right the lady you captured on the train is sophisticated and attractive...I had a small varicose vein removed a by the NHS I think they could tell it was for cosmetic reasons and they did a good job, very helpful, had home care and everything.

    xn

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  22. This is a great post, really gives you 'food for thought' I'm halfway to my 40th birthday now and it does make me think about how I still want to be excited by fashion, be able to buy on-trend and it still be classy and age-appropriate. I can't afford lipo or botox but I have changed my skincare routine and invested in some pro-age products to try and keep at least some of the signs of ageing at bay. xx

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  23. What a great post about age and style. There certainly are a lot of double standards. Here's to changing that.

    As a child, I couldn't image how I'd feel in the year 2000 (I'd be a shockingly old 29). Now, I'm looking forward to turning 40 this year and looking forward to what life has to offer.

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  24. "As women we should question the effect of us morphing in to an acceptable look for an older women. Why is there such pressure to remain young and attractive. Who determines what attractive is?"

    Hear hear! Brilliant post - you raise so many excellent points - and I'm glad you mentioned the derogatory language that ageing women are subjected to in terms of how they may choose to dress. Mutton dressed as lamb is my pet hate. I'm personally with Vix and Pull Your Socks up about wanting to age disgracefully because it least it will be on my terms and not on someone elses idea of what is acceptable or attractive.

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  25. Dear All, thank you for your comments. It is very heartening to know the current stereo types are going to be challenged by such a talented bunch. Hear hear to growing old disgracefully - although my top tip would be wear a decent bra!
    xx

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  26. oh I love the lady in your sneeky photos. I see so many mores stylish older ladies than younger ones these days.
    I might change my mind, but for now there is no way I would have any cosmetic surgery, even botox. Having a serious illness really puts things into perspective. I hope I am like Vivienne Westwood who was 70 just the other day, she dresses so well and still with the sheer joy she did many years ago, thats inspiring.

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