60 is sexy: A perspective on a New Generation

I was sitting with friends this evening. They are all over the age of 60. We were just chatting about holidays, costume dramas, relationships and the possibility of a night out on the tiles. In my social circle, I think I am the youngest at forty-something. In a few more years, I shall be eligible for a Saga holiday, although I don’t feel my age I said quite happily.
“Oh NO!” said my female friend, “You don’t be want to be going for THOSE holidays – they’re far too expensive and for what you get, you could be surrounded by old, OLD people!”
SAGA Holidays, I have to point out to the uninitiated, is a specialist holiday provider for people over the age of 50.

People over the age of 60 today are much more active and adventurous than what they were say, 10 -15 years ago, my other half said. I had to look at him with amusement, bemused that he had repeated exactly what I’ve been telling him for the last few years!
But I would say, that’s the truth of the matter. Men and women of a certain age are no longer happy to retire gracefully at the age of 60 with slippers, pipe, a hot kettle, hot water bottle and a television for company, with a few decent homecooked, frozen meals or door to door dinner services thrown in for good measure.

60 appears to be the new 40. A new life is beginning. As culture and times change, people you would expect to be staying indoors and settling down with a nice cup of tea, a crossword puzzle and the expectation of seeing their children/grandchildren are now looking for adventure, excitement and passion, rekindling old romances or in search of new.

Of course, there are exceptions of people in retirement.nursing, residential homes or ill, infirm or sick.

But the majority, well, those that I have met over recent years, appear to be throwing caution to the wind and making what appear to be radical changes. You just have to look at established actreses in the media spotlight to see what I mean – Judi Dench (aged 78) as boss to James Bond, Helen Mirren (67) sporting a pink haircolour at the Bafta awards last night. Then there are those who decide to have a tattoo  or three (Winifed Turner aged 92, making her the oldest woman in Britain to have a tattoo), the grandad who skydived at the age of 97, the woman who had IVF at 60…

Ok, I may have got carried away a bit there with the more mature age ranges mentioned but the principle still remains the same. Sixty-somethings are wanting more from life, and with more exploration of the world becoming easier to access with bookings over the internet, with easy to reach places and destinations which they could ill afford when younger,  like the Far East, Egypt,  Australisa or the Fjords, the New Age 60 plus generation are looking to fulfilling their days with more practical, meaningful and productive activites away from home. Learning a new skill, hobby or helping others for financial gain is another way forward. It means opening up new horizons and socialsing more with people from different walks of life. Two of my nearest and dearest have decided to offer the local community a cleaning and decorating service for a fraction  of the cost of what “professionals” would charge just to get out of the house and meet people. They are no longer afraid to stay in and watch a daily dose of repeated television programmes.   Others whom I meet, impress me with what they do with themselves. Gone is the idea of a weekly trip out to the local supermarket to do the grocery shopping or to Bingo. Instead, those who I come into contact with are seeking out the latest trends, fashion, music gigs and entertainment venues for a regular weekly buzz or their dose of excitement. Dining out and learning new recipes also appears to be de rigeur for couples and the peers or social circle.

The generation that appeared to be so “tame” about twenty years ago now appears to be so much more  invigorated, as active as their young counterparts, if not more so and seem to have discovered a new “zest for life”.  It’s almost like “keeping up with the Joneses” but instead of looking at what others have achieved, they are looking at what they themeselves can achieve. Some people over 60, like to dress and be more fancy free. I’m not talking “mutton dressed as lamb here”. I’m saying that fashion also plays a part in how a 60 year old can dress and feel. I think the “bootcut” look which was so fashionable a few years ago helped to make that image and transition easier to manage. The “bootcut” jeans worn with a decent pair of boots appealed to both men and women, young and old. It helped to “close” that generation gap and people of a certain age no longer felt restricted, constrained or old fashioned in their attire. The look was so popular, I think it helped change the face of an ageing population. It provided that boost and much needed change of image for men and women. It removed some of the stigma and staid look of 60-somethings and helped to rejuvenate a new found respect for that age group. New hairstyles, new shoes can also help boost confidence and self -esteem, especially when complimented and I think that helps people to review, take a fresh new perspective on themselves and  what they can offer the world at large.

I believe that is why the new generation of 60 plus section of the community are more inclined to take stock of their lives now and make changes like never before. It’s not a case of growing old gracefully, but managing life and what it can offer dis-gracefully. The people in my life are tired of adding to the stereotypes and doing all what is expected of them or what generations had done beforehand. They are breaking the mould. being different, unique and seeking ways to please themselves without being offensive to others or detrimental upon their own health.

The new 60 generation are making headway changes and I only hope that when I hit the ripe old age of 60, I find myself  still following the latest gadgets, technologies, fashion, music etc and make room in my diary to do as much as I can to make my life as productive,  precious and fulfilling as it ever could be.

The Learned Kat

Baby Brows!

Yesterday, I happened to walk through Debenhams store and saw a young girl, aged between 8 and 10, sitting in a reclining chair with her head tilted back and her mother standing next to her, looking on with affection, pride and silent pleasure. Nothing unusual in that, you might say. But what struck me is that there was a young woman leaning over the young girl, with a long piece of thread in her mouth and held between her fingers. The little girl was having her brows threaded!!

I might be old fashioned, but as much as I love children, I feel that when children ask for certain types of beauty treatments at such a young age, it saddens me and makes me think what do the parents gain from allowing their children to endure such “pampering”?

It’s like the other day, I read an article about a young mother who enters her 18 month old baby girl into beauty pageants. The mother denied being a “pushy parent” and said her child “wants to do it, loves all the attention and enjoys every minute of it.” How did the child know at the age of 6 months, that she wanted to enter a beauty pageant? How does she know that she is entered into a competition for prizes? I should imagine for the young girl it’s a bit of fun, playtime and naturally with children who tend to have a very inquisitve nature, she would like the attention, sparkle and flashing lights of the cameras or stage. She has received numerous awards and her mother intends to keep the little girl “grounded”. It’s not the girls’ fault. It’s not really her mothers fault. What parent wouldn’t want their child being described or voted as a beautiful baby? But at the same time, it’s like saying that a child who enters beauty competitions is special and gifted and those children who don’t are ugly. Why have beauty pageants for little children?

I blame the event organisers, or those who create such schemes. To me, it’s just another money making hare brained business project that feeds of vulnerable or starry eyed parents who are living their failed dreams through the lives of their off spring. They must think “What I don’t have or couldn’t have, I’ll make sure my son/daughter has it!” And there are some (unscrupulous?) people out there who can quite happily feed off those thoughts and bag themselves a new type of consumer. A very lucrative business, which over the years, appears to be getting worse and worse. There is a campaign in the UK called “Stop the Sexualisation of Children”. It’s aim is to stop such pageants and products for sale that make a child look older than what they are, sexually provocative music or billboard advertising. I support elements of this campaign, which came about after the findings of a report by the Mother’s Union. It saddens me to think we have to have a campaign to stop manipulating the consumer and we don’t seem to allow children to be children anymore.

But I think it goes deeper than that. It’s a whole generation of young people who are not encouraged to play outside, have a make-believe world, have stories read out to them or use their creativity or imagination. Children appear to be postively encouraged by the “We never had it as a child” parent mentality and are losing out on the value of what is really true and meaningful in life, the wonderment and awe, the magical and mystical, the escapism, the comfort and joy, the whole interaction of being loved and cared for, the inquistive nature to search and find out, the little giggles and tears, the growing pains and so forth. An example of childhood lost is when I see the majority of parents around me today who give a young toddler a mobile phone to play with and fries for lunch, dinner and snacks. They also seem to either talk over them, shout at them or involve them in adult conversations. Like celebrity or gossip magazines, children want to know the sordid details. They want the latest designer fashions, they want more technology, they want fast food, they want beauty treatments like mum, they want to emulate mum, they want to be like dad, they want to follow dads football team.

Children want, want, want…

I recall a brief exchange with my then 10 year old niece and her 4 male siblings younger than her when they were at home on a lovey, hot sunny day. It went something like this:

“What can we do?” she said.
“I suggest you play outside”
“It’s boring outside!”
I flashed back to my childhood. “Go and play tig, hide and seek, hopscotch?”
“What are they?”
“Games” I said.
“Games? I’ve got the computer to play games!”
“Well, go and create a play or write a story”
“How do I do that?”
“Use your imagination!”
“Whats that!?” They all chorused and ran upstairs to play on the computer. “Are we having fries for dinner mum?” One of the lads called down.
“Yes” exasperated mum replied.
They all cheered.

But sometimes, as adults, we have to learn to say “Stop wanting because I can only give to you what you need. That way, you can appreciate what I have to offer more and you can learn more about life and materialistic things, the value of money etc in your own good time. But just for now, enjoy your childhood and all that it offers because at this rate, you’ll lose your childhood memories forever so learn just to be and be who you are!”

The Learned Kat