Puffed, Pinched and Pulled..Or Not.

It's interesting the extremes some women will go to in attaining a "youthful" appearance. We've all seen pictures of celebrities who have indulged in some, or too many, procedures. 

 Katherine Helmond in "Brazil".

Goldie Hawn in "First Wives Club".

I think a HUGE problem is that we don't see photographs of over-50 unaltered faces. I really like Diane Keaton. When she appeared on the Golden Globe Awards I thought she looked fantastic. She also looked...older. Cut to a L'Oreal commercial featuring... Diane Keaton....Wow. The difference was shocking and disappointing. I've seen her in those ads and I've thought, "She's 68, she looks amazing... maybe that cream works." Silly me.

Diane Keaton at the Golden Globes and the following commercial.

She is also on the cover of the May issue of MORE magazine, the lines have been erased to shadows. So even a face that hasn't been puffed, pinched or pulled will look it when photographed. I'm not naive, I worked on a magazine. I know even 20 year old models are photoshopped but it's a problem when we have to go to National Geographic to see an image of an unaltered face.

Here are some over-50 faces, au natural..

Annette Bening, 54.

Audrey Hepburn in her late 50's.

Meryl Streep, 63

Lauren Hutton, 69.

Katharine Hepburn at 75 in "On Golden Pond".

 I would also like to say for those who choose to have procedures, good for you. It really is about doing  what we can to feel good about ourselves. Pleasing OURSELVES is what matters. What we do and how we do it is nobody's business. 

Donald Trump's public remarks about 81 year old Kim Novak's appearance on the Academy Awards were disrespectful, shameful and infuriating. That she felt the need to defend herself was just so sad. It made me realize that no matter what our age, a woman's appearance is fair game.

Damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

So if one chooses to puff, pinch and pull, or go au natural, let's support each other privately and publicly. 

Aging is a journey, we're all in it together.

Blooming After Forty.

"It's never too late to be what you might have been." George Eliot

I love stories of women who, after 40, change their lives. Whether it's because the children are grown, it's a necessity, or it's the realization that this journey is finite - whatever the reason, they find the courage to take the road not taken. They step out of their comfort zones, begin again, and come into their own.

I love these women. I collect their stories. They inspire me. They are my tribe. Here are a few...

Margaret Fogarty Rudkin was a mother of three sons and wife to a Wall Street financier. The Depression devastated her family's livelihood and it was also at this time she discovered debilitating

allergies in her youngest son. So out of necessity, at the age of 40, she began to bake bread and sell it. Less than two years later she sold her millionth loaf. She named the company after her family's farm..Pepperidge Farm.

The fabulously unconventional George Eliot published her first novel at the age of 40.

Harriet Doerr graduated from Stanford at the the age of 67. At the age of 74 her first book, "Stones for Ibarra" was published for which she won the American Book Award for First Fiction.

Did you know Millicent Fenwick never received a high school diploma or college degree yet she was fluent in French, Spanish and Italian. In her 30's and 40's she was an editor at Vogue magazine. It was at age 59 that she first ran and won a seat in the New Jersey State Legislature. At age 64 she was elected a member of Congress. She was called "The conscience of Congress."

Wini Yonker joined the Peace Corps at age 65.

Evelyn Gregory became a flight attendant at age 71.

Linda Bach went to medical school in her 40's and opened her practice at age 50.

And then there is the  Honorable Jane Digby. What an extraordinary life. So many ADVENTURES.. It was at the age of 46 that she met her fourth husband and greatest love the Bedouin Sheik, Abdul Medjuel El Mezrab....who was also 20 years her junior (naturally). For the next 30 years she lived in Damascus, and in the desert, absolutely scandalizing 1800's British society.

I first learned of Jane Digby when on the eve of my first trip to Nepal, my boss at the time, the lovely Countess Constance von Collande gave me the book by Lesley Blanch "The Wilder Shores of Love."

The title is unfortunate because it's a wonderful book about  "...four women fleeing the confines of 19th Century Europe for a life of passion and adventure...all of these women broke with their upbringing to embrace life and live it robustly."

It was a wonderful read as I embarked on my own adventure...but I digress.

The idea that it's too late to do anything is ridiculous. I'll close with this quote from a woman who was celebrating her 100th birthday. "If I had known I would live to be a hundred, I would've taken up the violin at forty. By now I could've been playing for sixty years!"

 

 

Cine-Picks Style #1

I love to see great fashion in film. I ESPECIALLY love to see great fashion on women over 40. For my first style cine-picks I've chosen five films in which the women range in age from 41 to 63 and they look fantastic....I like the films too:)

Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Although the film IS silly -very smart, very successful and very beautiful woman chooses to abandon her life to go on the lam with billionaire art thief - Pierce Brosnan looks great, they sizzle, and to quote Mr. Charles, "Rene Russo is smoking hot." I have to add, how refreshing that his love interest is  age appropriate. She looks sensational in every scene. Michael Kors designed her wardrobe.

Sharon Stone in The Muse (1999)

This was a delightful bit of a fairytale written, directed and starring Albert Brooks with Sharon Stone and Andie MacDowell. It's funny and charming and Sharon Stone looks fabulous. Regrettably I couldn't find any shots of her wardrobe, which was designed by Emanuel Ungaro.

Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham (1988)

I love this movie..Kevin Costner is perfect as an aging minor league baseball catcher ( and quite easy on the eyes) and Susan Sarandon is wonderful as a William James quoting, poetry loving, baseball temptress. I think she looks great in this film. Sometimes the clothes are 50's inspired, but there are a few vintage dresses that look like they're from the 40's. She also wears stockings with garters so one is never quite sure which era she's in..which perfectly suits her character.

Rosiland Russell in Auntie Mame (1958)

This is a classic. The ever changing set design is as fabulous as Rosiland Russell's wardrobe by the prolific Orry-Kelly.

Tilda Swinton and Marisa Berenson in I Am Love (2010)

Tilda Swinton is usually attired by avant-garde designers such as Haider Ackermann and Viktor & Rolf.  So to see her in this film, dressed conservatively, was a surprise. I thought she looked fantastic. Raf Simons, then at Jil Sander, designed her wardrobe. I'm not sure if he did Marisa Berenson's as well, but she, too, looked stunning.

So there it is, my first style cine-picks. Many more to follow!