Today I’m going to send you, if you have a moment, over to Not Dressed As Lamb. Catherine has put together a beautifully done post, soliciting thoughts from style bloggers over 40 on the topic above. And yes, I’m there, and honored by the inclusion, but the post has implications more interesting than my Nike Air Maxes.
Endearingly blue and peach though they might be. The shoes, not the implications. But I digress.
Beaning Someone With My Handbag
First, being 57, the wherefores and howfores of style after 40 itself feel like history. While I remember how it felt to turn that age corner, at 57, I truly feel that I’ve made the philosophical shift into independent old lady territory. One who might bean a questioner with her handbag, scolding, “I’ll blog if I want to, my friend!” It feels good to be this far from 20.
Do Not Fluff Me, Please
Second, if it’s good to be a 40+ blogger, is it therefore good to read them? Yes, of course. But were we, in fact, waiting all along to read only about people like us? No, and while that’s not what Catherine’s saying, let me elaborate. Think about More. I have tried, over the last two decades, to read that magazine, and failed, despite its focus on my demographic.
Why? Because I have zero desire to see magazine editors do to my age group what they’ve already done to younger women, i.e. create a “look” to measure us against. Fluff us, if you will. You know what I mean, the artful highlighted and layered shoulder-length hair, the ever-so-white teeth, a gentle blur of neck. The Cial*s commercial wife. No thank you.
40+ style bloggers do way less fluffing. Thank you, my friends.
The Infinite Lightness Of Choice
And style bloggers, by multi-headed design, can offer a broader spectrum of options. For example, I am likely to substitute a few Minimalist-Tomboy-Twisted-Classic-Aesthete companions in place of more outré 40+ blogs. We can’t forget:
- Sue at Une Femme d’un Certain Age
- Grechen at Grechen’s Closet
- Kristin at Highland Fashionista
Inspired By The Doing Of A Very Good Job
Finally, Catherine’s blog is an inspiration. And I don’t do inspiration, generally. She and her images are beautiful – the lighting, the color, the settings. And she shares what she knows about blogging. Professionalism and generosity – isn’t that what we all want in a colleague?
Here’s the link again, if you’d like to take a look. Enjoy.
*(I starred the C-word to fend off certain traffic, as per Louise. Let’s hope it works.)
31 Responses
I don’t think of your blog as a blog written by a woman over 40 – I think of it as interesting, well written, and so much more. But I don’t feel as though we need to define ourselves by age. Stage of life means more to me at this point, as my little ones are growing up entirely too fast and I find myself a mother of teens. (Something that seems so remote when you’re in your 20’s and having them!) But you, my friend, are fabulous at any age.
@Stephanie @ La Dolce Vita, Well said, Stephanie!
I agree.
SSG xxx
Thank you very much. Such a nice thing to say.
Thanks for the shout-out LPC! As ever, you are a great ambassador for us all!
well-written blogs with thoughtful points of view appeal regardless of the age of the blogger. you are one of those writers. and completely agree re:more. tried. failed.
TY Jane. And I admit to having somewhat more of a desire to talk about the meaning of life than some style bloggers, but I try to temper philosophy with entertainment. It’s a deal, between you guys and me, and the balance is very much in the front of my mind always.
snorting and sputtering at the Cialis commercial wife. Yes indeed. I don’t read More anyMore (sorry) but I will always remember them for that great piece with Jamie Lee Curtis fluffed (to use your verb) and unfluffed. . .
i had to do a double take while reading thestylecrusader.com this week.
the blogger (age 27, not that it matters) wrote eloquently on age and sometimes the lack thereof. ironically, the row chose linda rodin as the model for their pre-fall collection. two of the youngest designers choosing one of the oldest working models at age 60 something. she could be your older sister…
Linda Robin is da bomb:).
I know I could never be a blogger, and Lord knows there is a lot of silly stuff out there. But I will never cease to be amazed by this wonderful community of middle-aged women who are stylish, witty, well read, and often funny and enlightening. The blogs that I keep up with have more often than not brought a smile to my face, and strengthened my resolve to not ever leave the house in sweatpants. :))
Thanks for the links. I will check them out.
I really enjoy Catherine’s blog. She makes 40+ look fun and stylish.
Lisa thank you – how fantastic to inspire a whole follow up post! It’s a great conversation that although I certainly didn’t start, I may have picked up at some point… and you took it to the next stage and added some brilliant points.
Being British I had to look up a couple of things: Cial*s – didn’t know what that was, but now I get it(!), and yes we have the same kind of ads with the same kind of women. And funnily enough we have More magazine but it’s for young girls (weird)! We also have middle aged equivalents which I find terribly bland, but they have got better in recent years. A bit.
Anyway – off the subject! I think it’s interesting what a couple of your readers have said re. the not thinking about your [Lisa] age thing, and I think that’s great. It’s exactly what I want people to NOT think about once I’ve “hooked them in” to my blog as it were – I use my age as a tool to attract brands and stand out in the crowd, but I want to appeal to readers of all ages, and that’s no bad thing.
And it works! I’m lucky to have younger and older readers – I’ve recently acquired a bit of a “super fan” recently: a blogger who’s just 16 but loves my style, and we chat on the blog and Twitter, etc. So it proves that age doesn’t matter, but by writing the post I wanted to highlight that from the *blogger’s* point of view it’s a GOOD thing, not bad, to be older and blogging, as so many bemoan the fact that they might be too old to do it… which is nonsense of course! There are so many advantages to doing it when you’re older as you well know. Hope that all makes sense.
A very rambling comment – the conversation will continue I’m sure! Thanks again for writing this post and bringing attention to mine, I really appreciate your support. And hence, another firm friend is made :)))
Catherine x
One of the things we are doing, beyond writing for ourselves, is inviting readers of other ages into a conversation they might otherwise never hear.
Loved the notdressedaslamb blog for two reasons: not only was the blog focused on the over 40 blogger, but gave me said over 40 blogger sites that I’ve already “pinned to start”, including this one! Thank you for that! Thank you also for the other sites you included in this post.
What I like about being “over 40”, which I’m actually over 50, but anyway, is that I’ve learned not to take myself TOO seriously. I’m not perfect (I will deny that statement to the death if my husband asks), my opinions and fashion sense are exactly that, MY opinions and fashion sense, I won’t fall over and faint if people don’t agree with me!
There is room in this world for the opinions and life experiences of all ages even the 20 somethings (sorry that was catty). But the thing is that I want age to matter, especially when it’s beautifully done, with life well lived full and experienced.
http://www.northsideofthecountryroad.com
Congratulations, Lisa! Catherine really hit the ground running with her blog, and yes, I’ve learned a lot from some of the photo tips she’s shared (thank you, Catherine!). I do appreciate her “no limits” approach and the sense of play and fun she brings to style. I also agree about the “fluffing…” yuk. :-p
And thank you so much for the mention!
Just found your blog and am enjoying it (not because it’s written by an over-40, but because it’s well written and no-fluff). Great post – looking forward to reading more and exploring the links you included.
Welcome!
What a great discussion…even though I just turned 50 I still dont feel middle aged but I guess I am past that :)) I have a 17 year old son so looking at him daily is a good reminder of my age…but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Since I am a fashion designer and now a fashion blogger I have always been in an industry where you are constatnly reminded of your age so you have to be pretty comfortable with it and realize that it is just a number. All the years and experiences make you who you are today and each phase has its rewards so we should all embrace it. Things only get as you get older, you learn to appreciate the little things in life :)
Nora
Congrats, LPC! In the short time since I’ve subscribed to this blog which I joined about the time of your upcoming nuptials (just in time–I’m addicted to the wedding biz), I’ve savored every entry, taking in your meteoric rise to the top of the blog dynasty. From amazing advice in the Archives on a wide spectrum of topics, mentions by other like-minded bloggers, to product giveaways. It’s like getting the email blast of “The Deals of the Day” from Lucky print mag whose tagline on the cover unabashedly reads, “The Only Magazine Devoted to Shopping.” Every time it arrives, I have to insert it between the folds of “The Palm Beach Daily News” and put on my nightstand lest my husband thinks I’m relapsing back into acquisitiveness.
I tried hard to like More but I couldn’t do it. Likewise, I subscribed to “Harper’s Bazaar” after being a Condé Nast girl forever but couldn’t get past the fact the first 50 pages contained mostly items listed as “Price Available Upon Request.” Code for: “If you must ask, you can’t afford it.” I cancelled my subscription after the second issue. Even Town & Country and W isn’t weighted that heavily with luxe items.
I love how you balance the high end or lesser known designers with sale notices. I never would have gone to Uniqlo or known about it if you hand mentioned it. All in all, this is a fabulous site for info, sharing and camaraderie.
I expect your Blog to begin to catch the eye of a wider audience as what you share and what happens here is often universal. I want Vanity Fair, Time or the NY Times weekly “Boomin'” column to pick up on the phenomenon happening here weekly. I expect it won’t be long now.
Well, maybe one day I will say something insightful enough for the professionals to pick up on. I’ll keep on doing my best.
Reading this thoughtful post of yours is timely as I turn 47 tomorrow and I’m already sulking a bit…but oh those cialis commercials…shudder…and dressing like a lamb is the best way to really age oneself, but, please give us “more” choices than Mutton! double shudder…off to read some more, thanks!:)
Happy birthday!
Great post Lisa – I can’t remember the last time I actually was particularly inspired by an ouftit in a fashion magazine – they are aimed way too much at incredibly young and super skinny women – nothing like me at all. I think bloggers have so much of a better handle on wearable fashion and style than any so called fashion magazine these days.
As an over 40 blogger myself this was a pleasure to read! I have followed Catherine’s blog for some time now and she is truly an inspiration to me! I am now following Sue, Grechen and Kristin. Thank you!
I enjoy your blog’s content, and how well written it is.
The fact that you post 2x/week means that you are more than virally advertising for jcrew etc. I like to look at blogs with my cuppa joe and so many of the blogs are just links to “what to buy”
You are so good about sharing your experiences, celebrations and life lessons.
Thumbs up, Lisa. You 15-20 years on me and I hope to get as much out of life as you do ever let alone when I am 57!
Wait! You’re over 40???? ;-)
I was always discomfited by More and now I know why, thank you! But I did enjoy Lear’s, which reflected Frances Lear’s politics as well as taste. I might even needlepoint a pillow (I would have to take up the hobby) that says, “Eschew Fluffing”.
I read blogs written by women of all ages and I am 61. I have to say that 40 or even 43 seems very young to me right now, but certainly old enough to share an insight that I might gain from knowing.
I think that Amid Privilege should be relevant for all ages.
And it IS relevant for all ages–I meant to say.
Lisa, I love your blog and your writing. But I implore you, do NOT use the word “old” to describe yourself. Even though you may mean it to be ironic, modest, or other, it is a terribly negative word. Like “fat” which 99%b of us use to describe ourselves as when we are no longer bikini-posing babes. Your soul is incredibly young and blossoming. Own that.
I am 55, working in an environment of 25- to 35-year-olds. Daunting. It beats one down. But I never use that word.
My 83 YO surrogate mom is vital, impossibly stylish, and vigorous. Whenever she slips into using the three-letter word during conversation, I chastise her, just as I am now doing to you you.
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