Mid-riff Chic
After posting the above image to my Instagram page I prepared myself for the usual backlash of opinion on what flesh is politically correct to show over 50. In Fact, quite the opposite has happened.
Within three days H&M had asked to use the pictures in-store and on their website and two days later M&S also approached me. I was actually filled with doubt before I released the images. Why?
It’s the mutton dressed as lamb issue . should a nearly sixty-year-old lady be seen baring a mid-riff or in the above photo daring to show the fleshy upper arm? As if being menopausal, sweating in 30-degree heat isn’t difficult enough ..Women can still be just as hard on each other as well as being our own fearless critic
Far from fading into the background, many women are now growing boulder, feeling more confident in their own skin and refusing to be boxed into stereo-type expectations. Why can’t we wear what we want? What are we expected to do when the high street offers very little? I love fashion and it shows, I like to keep up with trends obviously not everything will work but sometimes it feels good to still feel in touch.
Vest tops or sleeveless sweaters our silent voice whispers ‘Bingo wings’. Of course our arms have seen better days… although I can still lift a pint of beer and shoot a pool cue like I did in my teens… should they be kept undercover? The only person who has the problem is me nobody gives them a second glance. Endless comparisons brought on by the media are dismissed by the body positive movement why has it taken so long?
Free from the pressure of expectations, there’s no limit to developing your own personnel style over a certain age. Shorts with varicose veins that’s my choice. Wearing clothes that feel comfortable is more important to me instead of following rules of what should and shouldn’t be worn. Who came up with these guidelines?
The old mid-life dressing rules have gone, fuelled by Me Too, Women Empowerment and Women in the public eye (who refuse to play the style game that their Mothers were brought up with). It has paved the way for future generations. From bare stomachs, thigh high skirts to crimson red lipstick dressing well is about embracing your stage in life and expertly adapting to suit it.
Women aged 55-100 who stand out are becoming more desirable by larger brands. They are role models who dare to challenge, refusing to be dragged backwards by out-of-date expectations.
Inspire change in your wardrobe it’s never too late