So, I’m browsing through People magazine’s “The Beautiful Issue 2018: 41 pages of gorgeous, inspiring stars!” I come to this page filled with photos. “Beauty at Every Age,” it promises. It starts with Elle Fanning, who’s all of 20, and ends with Emma Thompson, 59.
I whiz pretty quick through the youngsters, but when I get to the gals in their fifties, I slow down. I can relate more to them. And, I actually know who the heck they are! There’s Viola Davis, Meg Ryan, Robin Roberts, Allison Janney, and they’re looking good. Not too much Botox or injected fillers (though a few have suspiciously smooth necks and jaw lines). I get to Emma Thompson, who’s rocking short, light blonde hair, then I turn the page, and…nothing. Nada! Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! I guess it’s beautiful at any age, except over 59. I couldn’t believe it!
I mean, they usually trot out Meryl Streep, Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda, Judi Dench, who are all, in my opinion, beautiful. And yes, Jane has had some work done. But I cut her some slack: she spent the entire 80’s in a leotard and leg warmers! Even with a little help, she has wrinkles now and isn’t trying to look half her age.
Miffed, I start flipping through the rest of the issue. Even the “Beautiful Inside and Out” section doesn’t feature any women over sixty. (That 60 year old is Sharon Stone, whose secret to a toned physique is “fun workouts:” an oxymoron if I ever heard one. Apparently, if you’re beautiful inside as well as outside, People adds another year to your sell-by date. That means even if you were Mother Theresa, you’d cap out in the beauty department at 60.
What the heck is going on here, People? It’s 2018, and you’re still trotting this crap out! Someone like Judi Dench is beautiful because she has a twinkle in her eye and seems comfortable in her own skin. Not because she’s been nipped, tucked, peeled, injected, and suctioned into some cartoon version of herself. That wouldn’t make her look fifty, again. It would make her look like she belonged on the “Real Housewives of Buckingham Palace!”
When I think of beautiful women, I’ll tell you who I think of: my mother. She died at 69. But here’s the deal: I don’t picture her in her twenties, but in her 50’s and 60’s, when I could see her with my adult eyes and appreciate what a wonderful wife, mother, and friend she was. My mother loved life and not only liked to try new things, but inspired others to come along for the ride. Now come on, that’s beautiful!
Or how about Franny Ward, 80 years old, always dressed to the nines, who informed me with a giggle that she’s taking an exotic poll dancing class down to Mahoosuc Green, our senior living facility. Or my Aunt Lillian, who was a nun for seventy years. I remember the beauty of her faith, her open heart, and mischievous smile as she teased her little brother, my dad.
Or in Zumba class when we pivot, and I go from being in the front of the room to the back. That always makes me smile. Because as I turn, here’s what I see: 15 or 20 middle-aged women, not caring what anyone thinks, shaking it, feeling it, and “livin’ la vida loca.” And they are beautiful. Every single one of them!
Take time to appreciate the beautiful women in your life, and what makes them so.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the flip side!
IDA’S PODCAST: BEAUTY AT EVERY AGE
Next Performance
May 26: The Best of Ida, The Castle on the Charles, 7:30pm (doors open at 6:00, drinks and light menu), Rochester, NH
Check out my full schedule here.
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