Age Before Beauty?

I’m 47.  This week I bought myself the first bikini that I have ever thought I looked good in.  I wrote bikinis off long ago as something I simply couldn’t pull off (sniggers) and in ascending age that that would be more certain.  But no, this bikini is simply a different shape.  It has a sort of high-necked bra top as opposed to the typical, 2 triangles on a string genre.  I don’t know what it is about it.  I’ve discussed it with my friend and we’ve floated theories of the higher neck elongating the body, I’ve wondered about simply feeling more boob secure, but the main thing I’m taking from the experience is that it’s a style epiphany that’s taken 30 years to find.

This got me thinking.  Over the years I’ve stumbled across many of these little things, personal things.  Things you can’t get necessarily from magazines or emulating others because there is really only one me; one 5ft 3, 9.5 stone, mousey brown haired, green eyed girl with a moon face and a large nose. 

I know its yesterday’s chip paper now, but that guy, the French novelist who made a big fuss, saying 50-year old women were past it and he preferred 21 year olds? (Remember him, the squidgy 50-year old MAN?).  Well that story really made me laugh too.  I’d quite safely say if I was a potential suitor for myself, selecting only on aesthetics, I’d definitely pick today’s me.

Isn’t it simply about the things you learn along that long path of life?  I bet we all have a list like this – but here are my little style epiphanies:

Putting eye liner on top lid

From the start of my make up career and to completion of the 80s I would line the inside bottom lid of my eyes with cheap black eye pencil.  Why did I do this?  I wasn’t alone either.  Far from beautifying anything, it gave me a fierce, permanent resting bitch face, would smudge within the hour and sting like a hornet.  Then, one day, I started putting the line on the top with a little flick with a pen.  It changed everything.

Growing out my fringe (includes highlights, no hairstyle and hair up)

I was a 70s child. Our life uniforms included lots of orange and brown flammable fabric, bowl cuts and sharp, cut with a ruler fringes.  I stuck with this for way too many years.  The blunt line evolved into a “Lady Di Flick” which effectively was just a few layers in it.  In the middle of my university years, I got a hunch that my chubby moon face would be better with less fuss around it.  I started to grow my fringe out.  I’ve never looked back.  This all coincided with getting highlights and deciding to simply grow the hair and not bother with “hairstyles” as such.  They never worked for me.  From then to this day, my hair just grows.  I twist it, clip it up for day, sometimes I straighten it if I want to do an “Oh Mrs Jones” librarian head shake.  But this is my look.  I intend to keep it till death.

Plucking eyebrows in my particular shape

It’s magical what this can do.  OK nowadays I think I’ve worked out that it’s cool to grow bushy ones and colour them in with black felt tip, but that’s not for me – nope!  A neat pluck to two thirds in is all I need.

Sugar pink lipstick

Tried other colours.  I would love to rock the red but I never have.  I’m accepting it.  But hey, maybe this is an epiphany to come.

Flat front running shorts

I have been a runner for 30 years.  I thought I could never wear shorts… until last year when my friend recommended the Lululemons with the flat front.

High neck and capped sleeves

For years I thought my best neckline was a scoop.  It wasn’t.  It’s a high one.  This applies to dresses, t-shirts and now bikinis too.  An important footnote is that a polo neck will never make me look like anything other than a black bin bag of rubbish with a head on it.

Anything that flaunts the ankle and calf

I run nearly 2000 miles a year for my calf muscles.  They deserve to be out.

Wearing nothing that clings to the belly

I learned after many years that however slim I get, I always have a little belly.  It was there before kids and after kids. It’s there after sit-ups, planks and after dysentery.  Any thing that clings there will make me look like Mr Greedy or create a muffin top.  I’m fine with this now, because I have…

The 50s style A-line dress

I had always been drawn to 50’s Disney Cinderella chic.  I loved Audrey Hepburn’s outfits in Roman Holiday (swoon).  And yay! In my head I can rock it.  I have polka dots. My ball gowns are this shape (short, ankles and calves, see point 7). My wedding dress was A-line and short.  I’ll twirl for you. 

Running, generally as exercise

And finally just this, sort of like that thing they say about finding a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.  Well, in exercise terms, running is that thing for me.  Going to the gym? That was never going to stick.  Team sports? Not really.  Getting up at 4.30am and running 20 miles?  That I can do.

And so, I’m glad I didn’t know all this at 21.  The only way would be down right?