“We each have our own self-directed timeline.” The first time I heard Norma Kamari say this, I felt liberated. A brilliant fashion designer and pro-his aging advocate, he has landed on the pulse of what I have been thinking since I turned 40. Kamari’s insight showed me that it’s okay to let go of the self-destructive limitations that break us down as we age.
It’s no news that things seem to get tougher as you get older, especially for women. anti– Age, erase wrinkles, or (somehow!) rejuvenate. Are we time fighters? So many people, myself included, feel insecure, worried and left out. A grim story about aging makes me question: How can we change this conversation?
Featured image by Michelle Nash.
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I want to take a breath and snuggle up to the gift of growing old. That’s why I look to women like Kamari to guide me. Thankfully, she and many other pioneering and iconoclastic women are showing the middle finger to constricted (and mean!) ideas about maturity by creating their own rules for how to mature. To create my manifesto, I gathered some of the freshest insights on aging from pioneers near and far. Every word indicated that the best was yet to come.
Because to age well is to live well. This requires loving ourselves and those around us, appreciating all the beauty, and carving out the fleeting moments we have.
I want to take a breath and snuggle up to the gift of growing old.
11 Tips on How to Aging Healthy — From Pioneering Women (and Men!)
#1: Youth is a Mindset
Activist and actor Jane Fonda said, “As you get older, you realize that staying fit is fun and important because age is not chronological.” Glamour Earlier this year. “You can be very old at 84, my age, but you can also be very young.” Fonda is passionate about all things political, cultural and feminist. More than 60 years after she began sharing her thoughts with , she embodies this way of thinking.
#2: Every day is an opportunity to grow
After finding great success as a model and actress, Brooke Shields focuses on shifting narratives around age.recently founded entrepreneur the beginning is nowis a wellness brand and platform rooted in her belief that every day is a chance to start over.Shields said people magazine After realizing how many women, after a certain age, don’t believe they have the right to feel power or beauty, she was inspired to start a new venture. No, she says. “yes my body [and] At 57, my skin is different than it was in my 20s, but that’s not what I crave. “
#3: Cook and eat what you like
Eating clean and healthy is important, yes. But so is indulging in what makes you happy.That’s what the glorious Babs Costello does with abandon.The young TikTok sensation at 73 who says she’s “everyone’s grandma” amazes me every time she posts cooking video with momentum. what’s her motto? Eat well, be with your loved ones and have fun.
#4: Never lose your excitement for what’s next
If anyone makes 50 look good, it’s Tracy Ellis Ross. She started leaning towards her new projects and new adventures this year as she wrapped up her appearance on her successful TV show ‘Black-ish’.She talked about leaning into the unknown today, “I feel like I’m in a time of wandering, contemplating, being and understanding. What’s my next dream? What do I want next in the next chapter of my life?” When it comes to becoming, Ross says it’s all about gratitude. “I’ve always liked getting older,” she continued. “I feel like I’m smarter. I feel more comfortable in my own skin.”
#5: Write Your Life Story
“I think everyone should write their own life story,” Jennifer Gray said in an interview earlier this year as she was promoting her brilliantly titled memoir. out of the corner“We’re all so busy telling other people’s stories, especially in Hollywood.” I got goosebumps when I first read the young actress’s words at age 63, and I still do. . Because, as Gray proclaims, owning her own path is more than a path to happiness. It’s about encouraging others around you to do the same. For your child, and not only is it an act of fundamental self-exploration that leads to truly getting to know yourself, it can also shed light on where you want to go.
#6: Ageism is “obsolete”
An incomparable fashion designer, Vera Wang is all right in my head. She “never thought of going out of her way to stay young in an enthusiastic and relentless way,” she said. told the BBC earlier this year. When asked about the secret of his vitality and success, Wang applauds sleep and vodka his cocktail every day. I go in
#7: Gray is gorgeous
When Andie MacDowell stepped onto the red carpet for the first time in 2021, the media went wild when she donned bright silver corkscrew curls. A longtime actress and model, she was proving to the world that a woman’s hair color doesn’t have to flex with society’s age expectations. I don’t want people to expect me to look young to be,” McDowell exclaimed in an interview. trend“We don’t do that to men! We love older men. We love men as they get older. I want women to have the same expectations.” .
#8: Always ask for help
Speaking of men… Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson’s advice is so good I had to include it. men’s healthBut this was beyond impeccable physical condition. Johnson has reached new strengths in his mental, spiritual and emotional forms, many of which he has finally learned to ask for help as he turns 50. believe. The value of asking for strength and help,” he said. “The ego gets in the way and you start stuffing things deep in your gut, which is not a good thing,” he says. “I became an advocate for asking for help.”
#9: Don’t Wear Your Age
Norma Kamari reappears and burns down the House of the Ageist Fallacy. in her book, i am invincibleand various interviewKamari breaks all the rules by saying that any woman should wear what she likes, no matter how many birthdays she celebrates. But clothes have value,” Kamari said. “They can change how we feel in our day and how we express ourselves. Because age is a number and you shouldn’t put yourself in that box.
#10: Getting older should be celebrated
Self-proclaimed “accidental ex-supermodel” and author Paulina Politskova has grown to become one of the most inspiring public voices about aging with power. Became and shared her honest thoughts on makeup, filters, social expectations, and love for transforming bodies and faces. It’s really inspiring to see it for herself. she continued. growth and change. ”
#11: Does it have to be perfect?
Gwyneth Paltrow has given countless women permission to embrace themselves, and I saw it firsthand when I worked for goop. It’s all about the founder’s unique ability to pry confidence by leading by example. When Paltrow turned 50 this fall, she opened up a new chapter in aging with power by declaring her desire to let go of perfectionism. Paying homage to the fine lines, she writes, her body is something to celebrate and honor. I accept my body and let go of the need to be perfect, look perfect, defy gravity, defy logic, defy humanity. I accept my humanity.”
