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Dress or no, I thought she looked incredible. She had her hair pulled up in a loose, low ponytail; was wearing subtle, pretty makeup; and had on elegant, dangly earrings and a pair of kick-ass heels. The overall effect was a great, classic, age-appropriate outfit.
And I couldn't help comparing her to another actress who attended the show. Susan Sarandon (who's 62, Streep is 59) was wearing a massively low-cut sleeveless gown. It showed tons of cleavage and also her arms, which are not what they once were. (I'm not knocking her, we all can relate to this. Even with working out, at 35, my biceps have begun to resemble grande burritos.) It made me start thinking about something I hate: Clothes look different on you as you get older and that difference is often not good. Now, of course, we should all wear whatever we're comfortable in—but what if what you're comfortable in is not the most flattering and actually makes you look bad and a little tacky? Do you want to know? Should you just say "Screw it. I like what I like, and that is the end of this thought"? I can't decide.
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I'd like to live in a dream world where none of this matters, where we can all continue to pull off miniskirts, tank tops, tube tops, and short shorts for all time. A world where I don't have to start buying support bras because my boobs are starting to fly south like some kind of flying south pancake bird. The style I—and many of us—grew up loving was showing off the best of what we had; Be it bare arms or long, smooth legs or (for that weird brief period of half-tops—yelp) a perfectly toned, tanned midriff. That was sexy when we were in our '20's. But, sadly, I think as we get older what's sexy changes. Not just for how our bodies look in things, but for our position in life as well. Sarandon brought her 19-year-old son as her date to the SAG's, and, God, I hate myself for saying this, but honestly, I might be uncomfortable if my mom was showing off so much of her breasts.
There are two sides to this, obviously. One could argue that Sarandon looks great and younger than her 62 years. That celebs like Goldie Hawn who dress in a youthful manner seem to be in a completely different age bracket than those who choose to cover up like Helen Mirren (Mirren and Hawn are both 63).
But I think it's almost exciting to allow your wardrobe to evolve over the years and transition into new styles. Even since I've gotten married I've noticed subtle alterations in my look—not that I don't want to be sexy, but I no longer desire the overt sexy appearance I might have put on when I was single. And, also, some of what I used to wear now just makes me feel dumb.
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I ask you: Have you changed your style as you've gotten older? Do you think there's a such thing as "dressing your age"?
