The miniskirt is back, and I'm so happy! I'm also a little confused. Some days I know exactly what dressing my age means. Other times, I'm not so sure.
We like to claim that "a woman should feel free to wear whatever she wants," and I mostly believe that. But that's also one of those sayings that I wish were true more than it actually is true. I think most of us can think of a time we've seen an older lady dressed in an outfit that was just wrong—not because it was ill-fitting, but because it was much too young...like it belonged to her teenage daughter.
I know—who am I to decide what's "much too young?" It's hard to say, but I kinda know it when I see it (and I know you do, too), and I don't want to be that woman.
In general, my attire tends toward stylish but not trendy. I like to look good, but I'm a lazy shopper, so I need clothes that will work for many seasons. I can’t be bothered with an item of clothing that has a short shelf life. And that’s why I actually might have been that woman a few times, though I don’t like to admit it. The downside of staying pretty much the same size most of my adult life is that I can still fit into clothes I wore many years ago. At one point, I think my girlfriends were going to do an intervention on me if I didn’t stop wearing my beloved Daisy Dukes (inappropriately short cut-off denim jeans, for those unfamiliar with the term.).
Rather than admit that I was a little long in the tooth for shorts that short, I decided that they were just jealous because they could no longer fit into theirs. I eventually and reluctantly retired my short shorts…kind of. Now I wear them only on vacation. Mostly I dress like a grown-up now.
I've always loved short skirts and dresses. But then, at one point, I started wearing my hemlines at a more respectable length. I decided that if I was going to shake my head at other women who looked like they’d been shopping in the juniors department, then I should stop being one of them. I convinced myself that they looked foolish, but I looked cute. But it was getting tough to keep up the self-delusion. When I started a new job, I used that as an excuse to try out a new look. I bought myself a few skirts and dresses with hemlines designed for a more grown-up" woman.
OMG. Way too boring.
I looked matronly. Like I was losing my mojo. And I couldn't have that. So my hemlines started to creep back up—not quite to mini length, but up above my knees. Where they belonged.
I heard or read somewhere that if you were old enough to wear a trend the first time around then you're probably too old for it the next time. Makes sense, right? But you know what? To heck with that. Remember how I said a few paragraphs back that I no longer want to be that woman who's rocking an outfit that's too young? I've decided that I don't really care. I'm wearing my minis. Proudly. Spinsterliciously. Because they're fun. Watch out!
This and other fun posts are also available at Women's Voices for Change
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5 comments:
I guess my concern about "us" wearing not dressing my age, is the way we appear to others especially men. I am 67, and don't and can't wear short skirts (my weight mostly) However, the perception about us after over 30 years of the feminist movement, is that we are still open to attacks of "she was asking for it" when a woman is raped. Sorry to drag a topic into a discussion about being spinstelicious. However,the reality exists. In my city alone, women are talking about as "lying 'hos" not just by the public, but by the police who should be protecting us. In Congress there is an effort by John Boehner to change the definition of rape. In an effort to stop payment of abortions when a woman is raped, he decided that rape didn't occur if the woman didn't say no. So we have a situation in which a man can drug a woman (you know, out on a date with a guy you think is nice) and she is rendered unconsious and therefore unable to consent or not. If she becomes pregnant and wishes to terminate the pregnancy, she cannot do because she didn't say no. We also know there are many lawyers who in defense of the criminal trash a woman's reputation, bringing up her past, while the rapist past criminal record, if he has one, is not permitted in court. I hate to throw a damper on what should be our right, that is to dress as we please, can come at a very high price. It may be the 21st century, but we are still many centuries behind in "allowing" a woman to dress as she pleases, and not having to worry about some men who decide arbitraily that "she was asking for it"
Good points Rachel
Cham is short for "chameleon". I can still wear the minidress that was purchased for me a few weeks after I graduated high school. If I'm going out on the town I'm not too worried about what anyone thinks, I know what looks good on me and I'll wear it proudly. Pink, green, yellow, lame, sequins I love it all, nothing is off-limits.
However, I currently own a lot of brown and gray. I see the value of being invisible. I work in an all-male field and sometimes fading into the woodwork during a meeting has some real perks. Bland can be very useful when one doesn't want to look like a fool.
And since I spend some serious time in the woods and do a lot of trespassing on private property I own a fair amount of Mossy Oak and Seclusion 3D. Occasionally I play a game where I stay perfectly still near a trail and I see how close I can get to a hiker without them noticing that I'm there. My record is 18 inches.
It's clothing, unlike a tattoo or a piercing, it's temporary and can be changed. Don't think too hard about it.
I think you can do the short skirt! If you go short on the skirt, go more conservative up top, it's all about balance! =)
BCBG has the best stylish, young, but classy clothes...treat yourself!
=)
Thank God you retired those damn Daisy Dukes LOL! It's such a slippery slope, the dressing thing when you've still got the body (basically) that you had in your juicy years. The edict about not wearing something that you wore the first time around--I think if you've seen it twice before is a good benchmark, not to try it again. I love to look edgy/sexy with a little lady/preppy/ Coco thrown in... and I think I usually get it right. My 16-year-old stylista daughter is more than happy to tell me when I get it wrong--she say, it's "too young," or "you're doing too much." Sometimes, I listen.
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