There’s nothing like approaching a birthday to make you stop in your tracks and take stock of your life. I’m a little sad that I wasn’t actively blogging when I was approaching my 30th birthday as it’s a huge milestone that I would have liked to have documented, but I feel like I made up for it six months ago when I shared my thoughts about my non-milestone 33rd birthday and how I’m looking forward to celebrating the shit out of life. I’m fast approaching my next half-birthday and while I’m wondering where the hell the last 6 months have flown, I’m also contemplating getting older and society’s obsession with age.
I touched on the topic of ageing and how society’s perception pivots once you hit 30 in my previous post and I think it deserves its own blog post. My twenties were a blur and I feel like I only started coming into my own after I reached 30 and to me, it still feels young – with all going well I’m only *a third* of my way through my life. Yet the media is full of lists of things you should ‘tick off’ before you hit 30, presumably after that you’re confined to a zimmer frame and unable to go bungee jumping or even do an epic road trip!
The blogosphere isn’t much different from mainstream media. If I see one more post on about turning 29 and fearing “the big 3-0”, I’m going to…realistically not do anything aside from not click the link but it’s nauseating and further perpetuates this irrational fear of one more rotation around the sun. Blogging started out as the antithesis to the narrow beauty ideals that traditional media perpetuates but here we are, with 25-year-olds partnering with antiaging brands lamenting turning 30.
I was overjoyed when the amazing Hayley Hall set up Thirty Plus, an inclusive blogger collective aimed at championing bloggers of ALL ages and interests. This is what the world needs more of; to see that your time on earth doesn’t zap your worth, it increases it. It disproportionately affects women too. Women are taught that their age is a taboo subject and to worry about an imaginary clock tick-tick-ticking away while men are able to continue getting older without worrying that their age might affect their attractiveness, sexuality, career or how the world perceives them.
My final thoughts on ageing? I feel prettier and more confident than I ever did during my “prime”, despite the media trying their hardest to make me feel the opposite. As I’ve stumbled, made mistakes, grown and learnt, I have become a better human being and a more valuable member of society. I have discovered topics which are important to be, such as diversity, and have pivoted my blog content to reflect this instead of just focusing on what I’m wearing or have been gifted. The most profound change for me, as I’ve aged, has been on the inside. Youth is a gift of nature but age is a work of art.
Top – River Island | Jeans – Topshop | Belt – Off White | Trainers – Fila
Photography by Adorngirl.
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