Dressing Your Age is Nonsense!

The idea of “dressing for your age” is growing outdated, yet it’s still perpetuated by many!

So many “Fashion Over 40…50…60…” posts. So much ageism.

Nobody but yourself should be able to tell you how to dress for your age. Style doesn’t come with an expiration date! Whether you’re 10, 30, 50, or 80, you deserve to have fun with your clothes and express yourself.

Whether you think you look too old or too young…Why are you judging yourself for how long you’ve been on this earth?

It’s horrible feeling like you have to change who you are just because of your age. Young or old. Dressing how you want and being true to yourself is a simple and surefire way to feel happy and confident. Why does society try to take that away?

Personal style is…personal. In my opinion, it might as well be a sin to tell somebody they can’t wear something that they identify with just because of their age… Here’s why:

6 Reasons Why There’s No Such Thing as Dressing Your Age:

1. Beauty is in The Eye of The Beholder.

What is beauty? Ask anybody, everybody, and you’re bound to get a different answer from the next person.

Why?

There are many kinds of beauty…

“Beauty” is a broad term for things that are worth admiration.

So many things (from big to small, young to old, aesthetic to abstract) are worthy of admiration… It would be easier to list things that aren’t worthy of admiration than it would be to list everything that is beautiful!

There’s a broad spectrum of beauty. What might be considered “beautiful” to one person may not be to another. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Beauty depends completely on what is valued by whatever individual you’re speaking to. Everybody holds different sets of values or things they admire. Your values matter just as much as the person next to you.

2. Beauty Can Be Found in Everybody and in Any Stage of Life.

Since beauty is so eclectic, it can be found in anybody.

Youth can be a situation in which a certain kind of beauty is found, but it isn’t a prerequisite.

Maturity can bring forth its own kind of beauty, but it, too, is just one of many places various beauties can be found.

The ability to admire and participate in beautiful things is exclusive to no one.

3. We All Change Throughout Life, But That Looks Different for Everybody.

From our lived experiences, to our personalities, to our wisdom, to our bodies… We change with age. That’s a promise.

But we don’t all age in the same ways… We’re all unique in what we’ve gone through, who we are, what we know, and even where our wrinkles appear.

By following stringent rules defined to “dress your age”, you may be missing out on telling some of your story through your style…

Besides, nobody can tell us how we should age.

4. All Bodies Should Be Celebrated in Whatever Ways Feel Comfortable.

One thing that makes a person think they are “too old” to wear certain clothes is that their body has changed. They feel they need to hide those changes. Stretch marks, wrinkles, sagging, discoloration… They’re all natural things, but for some reason, they’re treated as shameful.

“How to dress appropriately for your age”? Why is that even a thing? Can it really be said that there’s anything inappropriate about the human body or how it changes? Isn’t this just a way to shame somebody for who they naturally are?

How we clothe our bodies can be an act of celebration… We wear what we love, partly because it makes us feel good in our skin. However much or little we are comfortable wearing shouldn’t have to change dramatically just because of changes in our bodies.

Truly, our bodies are worth celebrating at all stages–they do too much good for us not to! These changes are beautiful signs of a life well-lived.

5. Style Showcases Personality Traits, and Personality Transcends Age:

Beyond showcasing aesthetic beauty, style has a way of hinting at our beautiful personalities.

Ever heard of “old souls” or the “young at heart”?

There may be common expectations for how we ought to behave, think, or feel based on our age… But that’s all it is–expectations.

When it comes down to it, it’s personality and personal preference that leads the way in defining who we are and what that looks like throughout different stages of life.

Some things change, some things don’t–and that’s a wonderful part of being human! Being ourselves can look however we want it to.

6. Self-Expression Doesn’t Become More or Less Important, or Less Special, With Age.

Style is a behavior that allows us to visually express our personalities and preferences.

This never becomes unimportant… Self-expression keeps the world interesting, and it’s important for our mental health.

And really… As we add more years to our life, there’s more of us to share! We grow, we change, we flourish!

It’s up to you whether you want to wear a sundress, crop top, leggings, hoodie, ripped jeans, leather jacket, suit, or polyester pants. It’s up to you if you want to participate in the newest trends, stick with the classics, or if you still love the fads of the past. Age should never be a factor when deciding whether or not to wear something you like. There shouldn’t be any shame in any clothing choice.

Why take away options of expression, simply because of how long or short somebody has been on this earth?