I'm grateful to Clair Woodward, a friend from Twitter, for agreeing to write this.
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| Image Daily Mail |
I remember Victoria Wood trotting out a ridiculous line from a teenage magazine from her youth: 'Play down a large bust with a scarf with a little brooch'. That's what first came to mind when I read Sabine Reichel's Grey Fox guest post about covering up the older lady's 'jiggly' bits. I laughed - and then felt disappointed that a blog which successfully guides and advises older men about stylish, age-appropriate dressing was featuring the boring and negative stuff that women have been reading for years.
I really am not interested in another woman telling me that I should cover up my less than firm flesh - Christ knows what she'd think of my arms. They're fairly unflabby, but I've got psoriasis, a fairly unattractive skin condition on them. If Sabine had seen me yesterday (on a boat on a hot day) in a sleeveless dress, she'd probably have had a fit, and would have preferred it if I'd slipped on a fisherman's roll-neck sweater so I didn't frighten the horses.
Maybe it's because Sabine used to be a model that she notices certain 'imperfections' in women as they get older. Me, not so much. Once you get to a certain age, you know what does and doesn't suit you, and dress accordingly. You also realise that some of the old balls you've been taught by the media about not having good legs/cankles/a big enough bust/too big a bust/too saggy a bust is simply a value judgment, not a rule to live by.
'I don’t like to stare at ageing armpits – it’s creepy. Sorry,' writes Sabine. My dear, our armpits are all ageing, and what is wrong with that? If at over 40, you're horrified at the thought of a body that is changing with the years, you really should get real.
There's been a meme going around the internet recently advising women on how to 'get a bikini body'. It advises to get a bikini and put it on your body. And that's it. No writer on male style and fashion would advise on 'how to disguise an unattractive paunch' or say 'that wattly neck makes me want to vomit!'. Us women have been putting up with that kind of nonsense for years, and now we are older, we have the confidence to dress the way we like without being judged.
So, Grey Fox, if you are going to offer some advice for the laydeez in future, can we have more advice on where to get great clothes, shoes and accessories, with a few knowlegeable tips, rather than being told that our underarms are creepy, and that we don't look as good as we used to? We look different, not dying.
CLAIR WOODWARD
GF - This ends the debate here on the blog - but please e-mail or comment below if you wish to make a constructive point.
