Female, Fifty and Fab
Why turning fifty is liberating
Let me start with a disclaimer. I’m 50 but don’t think I’m fab. But that’s not to say I’m not to some people. So what exactly, makes someone fabulous?
Usually, it’s accompanied by ‘You can’t be that old!’. Or ‘Well done! You look much younger!’
And that, ladies et al, is where the trouble lies. Women are complimented for looking younger; men are sighed over and thought of getting only better with age. And the first ones to perpetuate that are women themselves. They might compliment you, albeit with a tinge of jealousy.
I used to be jealous myself sometimes. Not in a nasty, revengeful way, but more in a sort of ‘Why can’t that be me?’ trail of thought. But here’s the thing. I learnt that jealousy is simply wanting to be what that person is, or rather, having what that person has. And instead of looking inwards, berating myself for all that I wasn’t and didn’t have, I started looking outwards, towards all I could achieve and be. And there’s the secret.
So I stopped thinking of myself as getting older. I realized that I was gaining experience, becoming a better person, and shedding unwanted layers. I also accepted that what I thought were negative traits are actually things that make me into what I am. I can’t lie. I can’t be a suck-up. And most importantly, I can’t be…
