Chasing youth through dressing femme

Hi, Timea!

I am a bit older than you, but it does not feel like it. For me it is all about being appropriate! When I am alone, it is OK for me to dress to what I want to experience - not living my life through the various stages of being female, part of the fun is to "catch up"!

When I go out in public as Christy, I try my best to blend in and be accepted as a female. So I strive to dress in a way that I can confidently pull off. For me and my older looking face, it takes some thought!

When I am alone it is really fun to push the envelope!

I feel more vibrant and youthful and therefore tend to dress that way. If its how you really feel, doing it with confidence is natural. The only 'age appropriate' I agree with is dressing how young you feel.

I’m not trying to deceive anybody, or even to go out. Instead I’m curious how I would have looked as a girl, in particular in very long hair.

I’m not really interested in how 71 year old women dress, so it isn’t something that I spend much time thinking about. The net result is that sometimes I dress somewhat younger than my age and other times quite a bit younger, but not something that I will worry about...

I dress for Bettylou's apparent age, which is quite a bit younger than her real age, but still Senior Citizen.  I'm told my guy image is a lot younger, also, but I can't see it in the mirror, except as Bettylou.  Perhaps that's why I prefer to be her.

I will be thinking on this for a long time before I cast my vote, but I'd like to cover a couple of issues that this idea of youth vs. aging is bringing to the fore in today's society.  Back before the industrial age, the vast majority of people worked outside, in the fields, wherever, and I'm sure the sun did a real number on their skin and so gave them wrinkles, lines, etc. besides just exhausting them from the extreme manual labor that had to done to even survive.

As the industrial age came upon us, more and more began working inside, and not counting all the dangers of unsafe conditions, poisonous materials, etc., the chance to not age with so many sun wrinkles was almost a reality, except we quickly entered the age of tobacco and now instead of getting wrinkled in the sun, society began getting wrinkled from all that tobacco smoke in the air, and it really did a number on people's faces and skin.

Then as the tobacco age was slowly going out, we entered the age of everyone having to absolutely have a tan, like somehow that showed ultimate signs of being in the top of health. (remember, high society in the earlier age worshipped pale skin because that showed you DIDN'T work outside your whole life.)

But now as we realize that the too much sun is bad for you, tobacco is bad for you, working in hazardous environments are bad for you, actually eating healthy and moderately working out are healthy and good for you, look around! 40 is the new 30, 60 is the new 40. And I'm not talking about all the chemical and hospitalization required changes you can have to forestall (or at least hide somewhat effectively) the onset of wrinkles, of bone loss, of shrinkage, of sagging skin.

So, what exactly today is 'dressing your age'.  I think we (as a society) still have these images of our grandparents (or earlier generations) or at least photos of that era that show frail old ladies wearing black dresses with tiny flowers on them, with thinning white hair, yellowing teeth, and sagging or tightening skin.  And that's what we still think or expect or are afraid of looking like when we reach that age.  My great grandmother passed away at about 85 (I knew her), my grandmother at 78, my mother at 94, and in many ways, my mother looked younger than the two previous generations. She was still driving at 90, something I doubt any of the women in my previous generations were even close to, even being 10 years younger.

I dress how I feel, and it is changing over time, and I do have some thoughts that it's probably younger than my age, but I think on all the above, and say to myself - this is me, not them, not another era, if it makes me feel better, I won't stop because society is still envisioning the 1950's or earlier.

I have been known to occasionally dress younger.  I have worn a quineanera gown to a friend's party in a hotel ballroom, and in the summer I will take walks or sometimes go shopping in short skirts.  But mostly I dress around my age, maybe slightly younger.

When my friend does my makeup, it takes a few years off my face.  I will still do enough makeup to cover some signs of age on occasion, but not nearly as good as my friend does.

The odd thing about this question is that I look younger then my actual age of 67 as some might have notice from my pictures. So when I say that I dress my age, I'm actually dressing for an age that I appear to be and not my age of 67.

A gorgeous outfit is a gorgeous outfit.

When I see a woman in an outfit that speaks to me - ticks all boxes, such as Looks good, would feel great to wear, would probably look good on me with (x) shoes, etc - then I am hooked.

I want to wear that outfit, age and appearance be damned although I will gun for the best appearance I can, and not go out unless I feel comfortable.

Likewise, there is no such thing as mutton dressed as lamb, just women in outfits that work well or maybe not so well.

Age is irrelevant, self-image and projection of that image are key.

That said, I love it when people ask me my age, because they always look stunned when I tell them!

Love Laura

I put I don't think about it I just go with my instincts. I do try to dress my age, if you don't your going to look silly CDer or woman. I've got a sister in law she's 55 and still thinks she can pull off the 20 year old club scene look, WOW she looks like a warn out hooker. I like to think I dress classy with a  touch of sexy thrown in and have had good results with it besides my feet and legs just don't do 6" heels anymore. lol

I'm well north of 70 and whatever "femme figure" I had was lost to the "good wine and food life" years ago.

So I just dress "age appropriate" especially in public. (Be gone you 'orrible Covid Bug missing it so much)

That makes me a middle aged well dressed lady wandering around the mall/ Mother of the Bride type

And I've been told my lots of people, especially on this site that I do it well.

Caty

I love dressing in pantyose, heels and short dresses. Always have. My dresses are often a bit too short and my heels a bit too high for someone my age. Still, I love them and wearing them makes me feel good. I also have been told many times, when I'm in Patty mode, I look a lot different and a lot younger then my male self. I guess I pull off the younger look fairly effectively. Still, I don't dress super sexy and slutty like I did in my teens and twenties. I loved that look back then and it got me lots of attention and compliments.

I definitely would not have the nerve to wear things like that out in public now.

I look for women's clothes that portray a classy elegant lady. I'm an adult, so I'm not going to go around dressed like a little girl doll or try to look like a college co-ed.

Hi Timea,

I wear whatever makes me feel good at the time.  I know my choices are probably young for my age, but I don't think about that.  Sometimes its the feel (satin & lace) and sometimes it's the look (higher heels, shiny pantyhose and short skirts).  It all depends on the mood and not my age.

Hugs,

Lisa