Why do some women give up on their appearance

[PrincessBandit]

Article I found on stuff ( from the Sydney Morning Herald) while reading an article on "tittooing" - itself an interesting topic - and it got me thinking: is that really how older women are perceived in NZ and Australia?
The writer talks about the "man-cut" that us older women seem to wear as a uniform hairstyle making us appear "gender less" and that we slop around in daggy trackies and clothing obviously designed for comfort (emphasis on comfort - translate as frumpy and fugly) rather than making the most of whatever is left of what nature gave us.

They then went on to compare us Antipodean females, generally unfavourably, against our European counterparts who seem to age more gracefully and still take care over their outward appearance (body, clothing, hair etc).

What do you think guys? Who here subscribes to the "it's what's on the inside that makes someone attractive" or perhaps "I'd rather have a woman who can cook me eggs, change the tyre on the car, and mow the lawn than a supermodel who doesn't know what a dishcloth / vacuum cleaner / how to boil an egg etc"

(The article was talking specifically about those of us who are euphemistically no longer spring chickens as opposed to young 'uns who still have youth on their side to enhance their outward appeal. ) As a woman in the 'old chook' category I was a bit miffed by it all but then I am probably a bit biased...

Yes, the heading of this thread is "some" but it was pretty much written as "most, if not all" older women.

[Genie]

For some woman this transformation takes places in their teens. One just needs to go to Countdown or The Warehouse to see evidence of this.

I tend to agree with the writer, many woman over the 45 mark do forget how beautiful they are and slouch around in ick clothes and become quite dowdy.

[Paul in NZ]

Its a very broad subject (ho ho) but seriously.... There are many many reasons and some of them start with the observer. What may seem to you as a person who has given up on appearances may just be having a bad day, driven to it by lack of resources, on the way to the gym, just unblocked the toilet or not actually subscribe to your definition of beauty...

We are all constantly bombarded by images of beautiful people and endlessly encouraged to conform to a media stereotype of 'beauty' but the simple fact is - its a very few who have the right genetic makeup to make that standard. The rest of us are doomed to flounder around as also rans squandering our resources trying to make the cut. Unless of course we actually take charge and march to the beat of our own drum!

Of course if you do that and your own beat is sufficiently different to make you truely 'stand out' be prepared to be heavily criticised and even bullied. This is why media savvy is such an important subject in schools to give yougsters the tools to filter the messages they are bombarded with and make sensible choices...

The trick is to be comfortable in your own skin - be happy with what you have and do what you can withing the bounds of reason to improve yourself (mentally, physically and appearance) as much as you can. Also it helps to just conform enough to have sufficient camoflage to blend a little as it makes life simpler and you can get on with it... But if a certain look rocks your boat - go for it... (heck a neighbour I had once REALLY like big girls - every partner he had would get biggerised and his long term partner told me one day he really liked to feed her up... Hey - she was a good looking girl with it but thats what they both liked - not my thing but always remember, "he who hears not the music thinks the dancers mad."

Funnily enough I was discussing something similar to this with a very slick sales guy a while back. He told me that when he sees a geeky old dude wearing walkshorts and sandals he actually admires them and always thinks 'there goes a guy with more on his mind than what tie to wear today'. I had the feeling he was rather envious...

[oneofsix]

I tend to agree with Paul, and I miss walk shorts on hot summer days. I think they have just grown up and realised getting the pubs shaved for be more attractive to peds or their tit tattooed so they can be like everyone else is just a sell out to the media and commerce. Well groomed but not a slave to fashion.

I reckon that all these females that alter their appearance in the less public areas should publish the pictures to make it worth the effort. Actually for some it would be but that is personal choice i guess.

[jellywrestler]

Women should be obscene and not heard

[Akzle]

trackpants are comfortable as hell.

who do women doll up for in the first place? (i have never understood high heels, they're horrible.)

once you answer that, then we can delve into the deep dark realms known as "what women do " and compare with the "what women think", and then "why they think it", and "if monica thinks it too, or not" or "if you should ask cathy if you should ask monica because they had coffee yesterday without you..."


enjoy life. fuck the rest.

[unstuck]

enjoy life. fuck the rest.

Fucken oath. Bout time you posted something useful ya yobbo.

[Banditbandit]

Huh ??? as Paul and Akzle say ... Maybe these women have just learnt that "appearance" is a crock of shit ....

[Katman]

As someone alluded to earlier, it's not usually older women you see in the supermarket in their onesies.

[scissorhands]

I'm a male equivalent. So I started skateboarding. Too hard on knees and ankles for an unfit old bloke, so now need to give it a rest.

I've been looking in the mirror a little more than bugger all, and I still see a smaller me coming

Apathy is rife in enzed, Europe has a different landscape in so many ways. Copenhagen 60% of commuters travel to work by peddly. So your at the lights on your treddly and Danish women wear summer dresses and stuff on their pushies. I would buy a bike

Ponsonby Rd I keep seeing well dressed hot older women on classic olde push bikes... normally a traffic accident waiting to happen though

NZ is way better than what it was 30 years ago, when travelling abroad one noticed the different cultural mores. Kiwi animal product diets and obesity stats contribute to cultural mores like physical mobilty

[nodrog:Me]

Sounds like you guys got ripped off. I managed to get a hot one that cooks eggs and does dishes, and doesnt have a haircut like a dyke.

[PrincessBandit]

I've never been particularly vain but try to take pride in my appearance (most of the time). Unfortunately as that I am already a member of "that stage of life" club I've discovered that my physical shape got knocked to hell by having kids, then this is a double whammy of middle age and the M word. 'Tis hard to not just feel like giving up when everything takes triple the effort (and time) it used to.

But I'd like to think that I still make the effort for both my own sense of well-being and pride as well as others who have to look at me!

[Paul in NZ]

I've never been particularly vain but try to take pride in my appearance (most of the time). Unfortunately as that I am already a member of "that stage of life" club I've discovered that my physical shape got knocked to hell by having kids, then this is a double whammy of middle age and the M word. 'Tis hard to not just feel like giving up when everything takes triple the effort (and time) it used to.

But I'd like to think that I still make the effort for both my own sense of well-being and pride as well as others who have to look at me!

Jeeze Louise - take a chill pill and go listen to some Carol King...... Your life does not revolve around your appearance.

If you are feeling knocked about - go join a gym and work your arse off. You will feel better about everything and you WILL eventually pull it all back together. Yeah - you aint going to look 16 again but you wont care either.

[James Deuce]

http://www.upworthy.com/2-people-des...happene?c=upw1

[MIXONE]

Here in Wellington it tends to be the "older" ladies that dress with some style and carry themselves with confidence,a very sexy thing all on it's own.The younger set tend to either dress like cheap whores or wear their pj's.