How Not to Look Old: Yucky Stereotype, Savvy Tips
Monday, April 07, 2008
How Not to Look Old by Charla Krupp (pictured at left, Springboard, 2008) is a book I'd love to hate—in many ways, I do. Krupp feeds our image self-consciousness as if she were feeding swimmers' bodies to sharks, with attitudes like we can't succeed in business and we're ludicrous and totally unappealing (not to mention unsexy) if we look our age, dress comfortably, go outside without makeup, wear gym shoes with jeans, or wear our glasses on a chain around our neck.
This advice is coming from an unwrinkled, tight-bodied former Glamour beauty director, the darling of Oprah, Tyra, and Good Morning America, who doesn't look a minute over 40. Okay, that's her point: You never need to look over 40, as long as you follow her fashion and makeup rules and make your dermatologist your new best friend. Oh, and if you can, it's a good idea to spend a fortune not letting yourself look old.
I resent this woman who looks nowhere near my 64 years claiming to represent "the over 40 generation." I hate her first statement: "All right, I'm just going to come out and say it. Aging sucks." I hate that she sees age spots, crow's feet, saggy bosoms and bunions as vile and icky. I hate her premise that "to keep our paychecks and our self-esteem, we need to look young; we need to look current." I hate that she spent only one sentence on exercise, the genuine fountain of youth.
And yet, if you can get past all that, I must admit it—this book has terrific tips for optimizing our appearance. I found myself taking notes on the chapter about how to choose a flattering pair of jeans—who knew? I learned a dozen new things about updating my makeup (on the rare occasions when I use anything other than a dash of lipstick).
I surely would love to debate Krupp about aging, appearance, and our attitudes towards both. Do you think Oprah would invite me?
Learn more about her book, Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk about Sex After Sixty (Seal Press, 2006).
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Newsvineposted at 05:16:21 PM | comments (3)
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Joan Price
An advocate for elder sexuality
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Not looking your age as a Senior (or sumpthin' like that)
After seeing Jamie Lee Curtis on front cover of AARP magazine recently, I've decided to do the same as she's done. I'm tired of dying my hair, buying expensive makeup, wearing all kinds of jewelry, etc. to keep myself attractive. I'm letting my white tresses appear on my dyed strawberry blonde hair. So far, I haven't caved in and I still feel pretty good about myself. In fact my golfing buddies aren't into all the self-upkeep either and we are all quite comfortable with how we look in our 60's.
I like this time in my life and my husband likes me the way I currently am. Simplicity is very freeing indeed!
So that's my 2 cents worth on that topic.
Regards,
Claudette Parmenter
The Villages, FL
Right on!
Your take on Krupp's book resonates with me—Krupp's outlook on aging and her emphasis on appearance makes me feel self-conscious. Women—and men, too—need to feel comfortable loving their bodies as they age—crow's feet and all! I think Oprah would be wise to welcome you onto her show.
I Agree
I'm sending this blog to Oprah. I urge everyone to do this--maybe she'll even read it and think about it, it's great!