Is the media contributing to womens’ lack of confidence mid-life?
Fabafterfifty: Body Image
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Article by Fabafterfifty “How can I be happy with my ageing self when the world around me has raised the bar to unattainable heights? So unfair” this is a question in recent guest post by Beth Havey. Is the media contributing to women’s lack of confidence midlife? As women in our fifties we are bombarded daily with images of women in the media which are unattainable in real life. Airbrushing has long been used to create the ‘perfect’ image of generally young models used to sell everything from clothes and cosmetics to cars and household cleaning materials . It is so important to remember that with airbrushing • Arms are slimmed • Legs are made thinner and longer • Waists are pulled in significantly • Stray hairs smoothed an tidied • Skin tone is changed and smoothed • Wrinkles are eliminated • Under-eyes smoothed and lightened • Cleavage is enhanced • Creases in clothes are removed Combined with clever studio...
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How shopping for lingerie helped me accept my midlife body
Article by Beth Havey A subject all midlife women can relate to in our guest post from Beth Havey as she shares how a trip for new lingerie helped her come to terms with her midlife body or ‘A Real Dressing Down at Victoria Secret’ You might learn about my health searching my medicine cabinet, but to unlock the secrets of my self-esteem, try looking in my lingerie drawer. We all have a time-line when it comes to panties and bras—they say volumes about how we love our bodies. Or not. I wore cotton Spanky pants when I was in high school and, I hate to admit, college. They cover everything. No Frederick’s of Hollywood for me. When my two daughters reached the teen years, their lingerie time-line was far advanced. Babysitting money bought them underwear at Victoria Secret. I found the Mom-approved briefs unopened in their drawers, the bare...
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Loving Your Midlife Body
Article by Jayne Cox It’s a tricky subject, age and our feelings about our bodies. Often our bodies become the centre for scrutiny in our search for flaws, as other areas of life seem out of control. It’s no surprise that at this time of life change, what could be the best years of our lives can become a breeding ground for fear and worry. Insecurities about body image increase with age Unfortunately it’s a fact that women over 50 struggle with how they look at many stages of life and it seems that for many, insecurities about body image increase with age. For some midlife women it’s a battle to conform to social and personal expectations to be a certain size or weight and for others it’s the visual signs of age that cause torment. Advertisements, features on TV, in glossy magazines and air brushed images apply steady pressure... -
Thank you for Giving me my Waist back! Review of ‘Fat around the Middle’
Article by Fabafterfifty I was a fat baby, chubby teenager, relatively slim adult. Over the past few years it seemed that I have been sliding back in the direction of chubbiness in mid-life. My mother even said ‘I suppose it’s good that you’re content rather than slim like you used to be’. Thanks Mum!! (I had recently remarried). In truth, I had no idea why my weight was creeping up, or why in particular it was all settling round my middle- I could only put in down to the inevitable ‘middle aged spread’ I’d heard so much about. Looking at my older female relatives they did all seem to be the same shape (my OH with his warped sense of humour calls them the ‘cubes’), and as much as I tried to resist, I had resigned myself to the same fate. I was exercising more, eating less and less but...
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Why do we Hate having our Photo taken?
Article by Lorraine Brooks It’s funny how all women have issues with their bodies. There’s always something about our bodies that make us cringeNo matter what actual shape our bodies are in, we all harbor some ill feelings about how we look – whether it’s our bodies as a whole, or individual parts – there’s always something about our bodies that make us cringe. And I thought it was just me. Just this morning I was talking to a colleague who used to be a model. I like this person very much, but I really don’t think we have much in common, as far as being “women” is concerned, other than the plumbing. She’s tall, I’m short. She’s thin, I’m not. (I refuse to use the “F” word, or any other euphemism for size.) She’s young, well, 40-ish (yes, that’s young to me), and I’m getting to be 60-ish. She’s... -
Having Confidence in High Heels after 50
Article by Michele Paradise- the Bridal Coach I’ve met a lot of people in my lifetime and the common denominator for all of them is that everyone, and I mean everyone, wants a bit more confidence in some area of their lives. I have met some of the most beautiful women and men in the world and on the outside they appear to have it all…the perfect body, the perfect face, the perfect skin and people pay them thousands of pounds just to wear their clothes or hold their product in a commercial. You may see them in a magazine or on TV and think they have no problems, they’re beautiful, but you would be wrong. They ask me to coach them in confidence, but what is confidence? I can’t put it in your hand or wrap it in a box and give it to you as a gift. It... -
When Hormones Change your Shape
Article by Dr Ravi Jain The menopause and the associated symptoms varies enormously from woman to woman – however, most women find that the change in hormones also means a change in shape. The waist can vanish as fatty deposits settle around the middle. That pert derriere suddenly descends to a lower level and seems to have attracted a softer, flabbier consistency. Trousers that used to fit perfectly around the thighs now strain the seams.Dedicated dieting doesn’t seem to be having much effect – except perhaps that the bits that haven’t attracted excess ‘flab’ have become scrawnier looking! Is that it? Are you destined lose your elegant silhouette and you just have to put up with it? Fortunately, the answer is ‘no way’ – there’s plenty that you can do. It takes a little effort ! Of course, diet and exercise plays a big role – and you may have... -
Correct Your Posture With Pilates
Article by Julie Clifton of the Pilates Foundation We all know that first impressions count but it might surprise you to hear that one of the first things people notice about you is your posture. Celebrities of a certain age have all declared themselves devotees How you hold yourself when you walk into a room sparks off an instant response from others about you – from assessing your confidence to giving an idea of your age. In fact, there’s nothing that makes you look older more quickly than a heavy step, a jutting chin and the pot belly caused by the long curve in your spine. Pilates is a form of exercise which concentrates on balance and alignment and can give you that sexy stride which will make you look and feel more confident. Celebrities of a certain age have all declared themselves devotees of the method including 007 girl... -
Are You a Diet Dater?
Article by Fabafterfifty With nearly 90 per cent (89%) of UK women surveyed having tried to lose weight at some point in their lives – 60 per cent are claiming they are currently on a diet and one in five women saying they are on a ‘continuous diet’ – there is clearly a massive disconnect between how women think about dieting and what they actually do. Cheryl Baker: Making my diet mind up Bucks Fizz singer and TV presenter Cheryl Baker, 56, says she’s definitely suffered from Diet Dating Syndrome (DDS) in the past: “I’ve not just been a yo-yo dieter – I’d describe myself more as a bungee-jumping dieter! Always ready to jump in, both feet first, to any new diet or fad that was going. I’ve certainly been around the block when it comes to dieting and have had a bad relationship with food in the past as... -
Can you start Pilates when you’re over 50?
Article by Julie Clifton of the Pilates Foundation Everybody has heard about Pilates, how it’s the exercise choice of celebrities, how it will give you a flatter stomach, better posture and a longer, stronger body. But is it something that you can start when you’re over 50? And if it is how do you find a teacher and a class that will suit you? If at 60 you are supple and strong then you are young Joseph Pilates said that “Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. In order to achieve happiness, it is imperative to gain mastery of your body. If at the age of 30 you are stiff and out of shape, you are old. If at 60 you are supple and strong then you are young.” A hundred years later many doctors, osteopaths and physiotherapists seem to agree with him and increasingly recommend Pilates for people...
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