Must We Dress For Our Age?
By anniepa
@anniepa (27955)
United States
September 2, 2007 11:56pm CST
OK, I'm going to trust in my myLot friends and anyone else one here who chooses to respond... Is it necessary that we dress and wear our hair appropriate for "our age"? If so, how do you know what IS appropriate at any given age??? I remember when I was a teenager my mom and my friends' mothers never wore jeans and they always had their hair done in a kind of "matronly" style; it wasn't until I had a teenaged daughter of my own that it dawned on me that they were about the same age I was then (my thirties) and I certainly didn't dress or act one bit matronly! Now I'm just turned 55 and I'm still and jeans and tee-shirt or sweatshirt kind of gal and I still wear my hair long and loose, and I still wear shorts in the summer and when I do wear dresses or skirts...very rarely...they're on the "short" side. Not up to my butt but not down below my knees either! So what do you guys think...is there an age when you must start wearing, gosh, I don't know what I would wear if I didn't wear what I do! And I've always hated getting my hair done and I don't have alot of time to fuss with it, so I've kept it simple for most of my life and I don't really feel like changing. It's long and I sometimes wear it loose but I wear hairbands alot and put it in ponytails or in a loose bun. Tell me should I change my style? HONESTY, please!
Annie
2 people like this
16 responses
@alyssanmarco (21)
• United States
3 Sep 07
In my opinion everybody has a different hairstyle just depending on what they like, or how their personality is. whatever fits them. Ya, alot of older women have short hair, but thats just a choice i think unless they are losing their hair. Maybe it is just because they dont want to deal with it as much anymore. I don't know, but my granny is 64 and still has long hair. So it just depends on you and what you want. Don't feel pressured to do it if you don't want to.
@Harpreet_1988 (85)
• Australia
3 Sep 07
i dont think so.. i think we should dress in whatever suits you not considering the age.. if a mini skirt suits a 60 year old lady and it she feels confident and good in it she should go for it. age should never come in between one's interests and once it does that's the time we really get old because we are getting old in our thinking. Its like saying should we start buying food according to our age? ofcourse the answer would be no you should buy food that you like that you think will be healthy for you.
2 people like this
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
3 Sep 07
Changing your dress and hairstyle to be in sync with your age and the world in general is not actually a very bad idea if you you want to blend in with the crowd. However, if you want to stand out and can immune yourself to unwelcome stares and glares, there is no stopping you from experimenting no matter at what age. What your wear and what hairstyle you should maintain, depends completely on how comfortable you are with the entire idea. If you are OK with it, so is the world. there is no hard and fast rule to it.
2 people like this
@Nardz13 (5055)
• New Zealand
3 Sep 07
Hi there. I dont think its necessary to dress for our age, I support dressing to how you feel and what makes you feel good... Dressing for age, what is that???, is'nt dressing for age an image thing, for people who he/she may think are looking at them and talking, when they're really not and are probably positively commenting, I say dress for yourself and what makes you feel good... enjoy your day...
@Malyck (3425)
• Australia
3 Sep 07
It sounds to me like you're staying true to yourself, you're comfortable and certainly not hurting anybody through your actions! =D
I think that the past generation felt it necessary to 'tone down' their attire to be more respectable mothers and wives, although most of them already dressed similarly to this to begin with.
You've made the decision for all of us, and you know what you want, which is the most important thing: what YOU want/do not want to do.
"I've kept it simple for most of my life and I don't really feel like changing."
I realise that this statement was in relation to your hairstyle, but this is obviously how you feel, and that means it is what's right for you =]
So long as you're comfortable with your appearance, your attire and your feelings, you'll always be dressing appropriately =]
Mal.
2 people like this
@deadlydawn (57)
• India
3 Sep 07
Actually some say tat the the way u dress express ur character..
its not necessary tat one shuld wear according to age n al.
its ur wish u can dress watever u like..its also my opinion pal.
@crazynurse (7482)
• United States
3 Sep 07
I turned 50 this year. I wear jeans & tshirts, shorts, skirts to the knee, and whatever else I desire! I refuse to suddenly shop for polyester elastic-waist pants too! As for hair, my style is short and spikey and I haven't changed it either! I say be yourself, be comfortable and live life to the fullest!
1 person likes this
@rowantree (1186)
• United States
3 Sep 07
Unless you live in Stepford, I think your hairstyle and clothing style fits right on in. I read magazine articles where they show recommended outfits based on age. The outfits for my age group (I'm 43) always show dressy pants and blouse with low heels. PLEASE! I have an 11 yr old and a 6 yr old, as well as a cat & a dog. I am not about to wear dressy pants, blouse & low heels to clean my house & play with my kids. I might wear that outfit out to an anniversary dinner or to a teacher meeting though, if I owned such an outfit. LOL! I wear jeans, t-shirts, hippie tops. You might catch me in a broomstick skirt once in a great while. It's rare that I wear shorts, I'll wear jean or cotton capris instead. I think it depends on where you live. If your town is relaxed, the way you dress will reflect that. In the area I live, everybody pretty much just does their own thing and goes as dressy as they want or as messy as they want and no one thinks twice!
As for the hair, well, I don't know. Do you have a really good, close friend that you could ask?
1 person likes this
@wonderful1 (2075)
• China
3 Sep 07
no one force you to do that.for old people:if you look younger than your real age, then you can wear younger then your real age. but if you are older than your real age, then i hope you can dress for your age.for young people: you can dress anything as you like, but please respect others.now i can see some girls dress too little,and sometimes if they sit down, then you can see their underwears.
i hope people can dress their own style, don't pay more attention to your real age, but your feeling. if you are fit, then you can dress some sexy clothes, too.
2 people like this
@daveisdavid (878)
• Singapore
4 Sep 07
Well, I'm not dressing for my age because I'm used to wear what the teenagers would wear except for my working suit.
1 person likes this
@bumblinbetty31 (121)
• Philippines
4 Sep 07
Dress in a way that flatters you. Yes, age is something to consider. But it doesn't mean you have to wear those hideous "mom" jeans or put your hair up in a bun when you're over 40 (In fact, those jeans should be banned). I love how Oprah dresses. Oprah is near 50 now but she doesn't look like a matron. She's sophisticated with a just a hint of sexiness. Her clothes fit just right and flatter her curves. She doesn't shy away from skirts, but when she does wear them it's just the right length.
If you're lucky enough to still have a youthful figure like Christie Brinkley (40+) or Goldie Hawn (50+), by all means wear clothes that are a lot more revealing. But I wish you'd consider a more sophisticated style. There's nothing more attractive than a woman aging gracefully.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
4 Sep 07
I thinkI could say I still have a "youthful figure"...not like Christie Brinkley but not many of us do! LOL But, what do you mean by "more sophisticated"? My lifestyle isn't very sophisticated, to be truthful! When I travel or go to more dressy or businesslike places/events I dress appropriately, but my day-to-day life consists of things like going to the local swimming pool in the summer, going to my grandkids sporting events and practices and going places with my family like auto races, amusement parks, picnics along with the usual shopping and other household errands. Not much opportunity for sophistication there...LOL!
Annie
@insanity01 (48)
• Canada
3 Sep 07
The way you dress and the way you look is all about expressing yourself. Even if fashion a few years back were a certain way, to the present day it's always changing. If anyone were to tell someone to dress their age and they were born in the 70s, should they be wearing lots of color, tie-die, etc.? Or even if someone born in the 70s happened to turn 80 should they wear a stereotypical dull colored clothing, the same clothing we stereotype residents of retirement homes to be wearing.
Dress the way you want to!
1 person likes this
@sundarsaan (1)
• India
3 Sep 07
nothing matter how we dress...we can dress of our wish its our privacy ....so theere is no restrictions in dressing and age limit
@mendardwing (3)
• United States
4 Sep 07
My response is always going to be, dress in something you are comfortable in and always be ready for random feedback, good or bad, from people. IT happens, I am even guilty of giving such feedback to people. I just can't help myself sometimes.
For example, I hate walking into the mall where I live and seeing a 40-50 year old woman walking around in little-girl clothes trying to show off their stomachs or legs and trying their hardest to be 'young'. This one time, it was horrid because the lady who was walking around like this had scars on her legs and stomach. And I won't lie, I yelled "Hide your C-Section scars, Grandma!" at her, about 7 feet away.
I couldn't help it, I am very open and very loud about my opinion.
But I still stand by my original response, dress comfortably, as you want to.
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
4 Sep 07
I can't argue about someone showing their scars! That's not really an age-related thing though, it wouldn't look very good on a 20 year old either. As for myself, I don't consider that I've been trying to be "young". The far-out new styles aren't me at all, and again it's not really an age thing but a style perference. I don't wear things that our outrageous or don't fit well, it's not like that at all! I was mainly referring to the generational changes that have taken place since my mom was my age. Thanks for a great comment!
Annie
@Ravenladyj (22904)
• United States
3 Sep 07
LOL I would NOT be happy if I were to not only dress my "age" but if I were forced to act it as well...I'm goin to be 37 in two weeks and I've got the giddy funloving sometimes childish attitude of a teenager..I dress how I feel which of course varies from day to day or rather mood to mood and NEVER by my age.....I'm not a PTA mom, I'm not a traditional woman, I'm not a career woman and so on....I am a woman who sometimes feels boho/gypsy-ish, sometimes punk or goth depending...sometimes funky and fun..sometimes I'm feeling romantic or ladylike and sometimes I feel meloncholy...regardless how I'm feeling, I dress to my moods and wouldnt ahve it any other way :-D Quite frankly I think thats how it SHOULD be really..
1 person likes this
@nosferatu07 (404)
• Denmark
3 Sep 07
I think that if you feel good the way you dress then everything is ok. You don't have to be someone you are not and pretend to be matronly if you're not or don't feel like it.
1 person likes this
