Do You Dress Your Age? 89% Of Women Don't Want To!
By Tracey Lomrantz, Glamour magazine
Confession time: I'm closer to 30 than I am to 20 (like, a lot closer), but I wear miniskirts, leather pants, and every of-the-moment trend you can think of as if I were still a college student. And it seems I'm not the only one.
A new survey from British department store Debenhams reveals that a whopping 89% of women "desire to dress younger than their years," and that 55% consider 70 the ideal age to finally start dressing the part of someone born in their birth year. According to CNBC, "Most women felt that their thirties and forties were torn between dressing frumpier when adjusting to demands of babies and small children and a growing concern with looking younger. Over 50% said they started to dress younger in their thirties and 90% admitted they had started to dress younger by their mid-forties." A spokesperson for the store says, "You only have to look at celebrity examples like Elle Macpherson and Sophia Loren to see that women are looking younger than ever. So it's no surprise that our customers are also dressing for how they feel, rather than what it says on their drivers license - and we want to encourage them."
Perhaps the most revealing part of the survey was that only 12% of men, by comparison, had ever considered dressing to look younger.
I can't say I'm surprised by these results--I myself am guilty of shopping at Forever 21 when I'm well past their target shopper's age!--but I do feel it's my duty to bring up that very fine line between wanting to look chic and youthful and not knowing your boundaries in the wardrobe department.
I love the idea that age is just a number--hello, Helen Mirren in a bikini!--but when do we stop looking like we're flaunting our fabulous figures and start looking a little ridiculous for trying too hard? Do you agree with the survey, that says 70 is the perfect time to start dressing your age? Do you think you fairly represent your generation when you get dressed, whatever that may be? Do you dress older or younger than you really are? Discuss!
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Photo Credit: WWD
