Exclusive excerpt from the book, What To Do When Jane Knows Dick About Dating.
The fact is, you can’t turn back the clock, Jane, and trying to as an older woman will last for only so long. Eventually, your years will catch up with you, no matter how much cream you rub on your face or plastic surgery you elect to do. I view it as immensely unfortunate that we Janes have made such an enemy of time, when time truly is our best friend.
We only get better with it and, although I admire the beauty of young women in their 20s and 30s, I would not want to trade the age I am today for one less line in my forehead or at the corners of my mouth. I earned them and am damn proud of all that went into the creation of every one of them. It disheartens me when I see older women try to be something they are not. They’ve bought into the idea that to be beautiful, you have to be young. It is my belief that to be beautiful, you have to be you. Beauty comes in all types of packages, and if you have the chance to travel, it will dispel any myths you may have to the contrary.
What makes a woman beautiful is subjective in nature. We live according to the standards of the countries we are from, but that does not necessarily make them right or right for you. I’ve seen women whose faces, body types, and ages fail to meet the measures of beauty common to the United States, and yet they were incredibly attractive, engaging, intelligent, and vibrant women.
“I would not want to trade the age I am today for one less line in my forehead or at the corners of my mouth.”
Personally, I find myself, at age fifty-one, to be in the best shape and place I’ve ever been. I keep myself fit through exercise and eat as healthy a diet as possible, although not perfect by any means. I seek out growth, enjoyment, and adventure at every turn and have learned to prioritize my life and minimize my stress (or at least handle it better than when I was younger). My face, well…it boasts higher cheekbones today and is a bit more pointed than in photos of my past, but these are the features of my ancestors, and I am enormously proud of those people, so why wouldn’t I be proud of what they left me, which includes the dignity and self-respect that come along with knowing better?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura J. Wellington is the Founder of the social media influencer-celebrity blog THREAD MB as well as an entrepreneur, author and mom to five great kids. See www.threadmb.com
