I turned sixty and seem to have become invisible.

[Anonymous]

The worst is walking into Sports Authority

[Anonymous]

Haven't read the whole thread, but I have to say that it's NEVER too late to change how you look. No, you can't turn back the clock and be 21 again. There are no do-overs. However, there are plenty of examples of men and women who in their 50s, 60s, and 70s (or even older) made the absolute most of what they have.

If you have money and can hire a personal trainer, look for one who will teach you how to get a bodybuilder's physique - this goes for women too. No, you won't end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger if you pick up a dumbbell heavier than 15 pounds. What you will do is build muscle, which is the key to looking and feeling youthful. Join a yoga or Pilates class to work on your flexibility. Drink a ton of water and get plenty of sleep. Watch what you eat and live on protein, healthy fats and fiber.

Life isn't over when you turn 50, 60 or 70. It can be whatever you want it to be. Check out these people:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-grandparents-prep-for-provincial-bodybuilding-contest-1.1356926

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Haven't read the whole thread, but I have to say that it's NEVER too late to change how you look. No, you can't turn back the clock and be 21 again. There are no do-overs. However, there are plenty of examples of men and women who in their 50s, 60s, and 70s (or even older) made the absolute most of what they have.

If you have money and can hire a personal trainer, look for one who will teach you how to get a bodybuilder's physique - this goes for women too. No, you won't end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger if you pick up a dumbbell heavier than 15 pounds. What you will do is build muscle, which is the key to looking and feeling youthful. Join a yoga or Pilates class to work on your flexibility. Drink a ton of water and get plenty of sleep. Watch what you eat and live on protein, healthy fats and fiber.

Life isn't over when you turn 50, 60 or 70. It can be whatever you want it to be. Check out these people:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-grandparents-prep-for-provincial-bodybuilding-contest-1.1356926

OP here and again, it has nothing to do with how I look. I am already slim, have always worked out with a trainer and still run, and always wear make-up and have my hair colored. I never said that my life was over - I said I am now invisible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The worst is walking into Sports Authority

This makes me laugh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst is walking into Sports Authority

This makes me laugh.

The second worst is walking into any of-the-moment restaurant on 14th St NW.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When you have baby boomers like Cristy Brinkly who never seem to age, that raises the bar.

Older generations of women weren't expected to still have long flowing blonde hair at the age of 60!

Ha. Seriously. Just when I thought I had reached an age where I could relax.....now 50/60 year old women are supposed to look 30. Of course looking 30 doesn't mean that you are 30 or that you will live a day longer than a woman who looks 50 or 60. Nor does it mean that you have a young woman's hormones and fertility. So I'm not sure why I would even want to look like a 30 year old.

Looking 50 or 60 is not that bad. But I do remember when I was younger that I thought that older women all sort of looked the same to me. So I agree that it's sort of an invisible age.

[Anonymous]

50today is different than 50 when I wasxa kid, though. And so many of us have young kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:50today is different than 50 when I wasxa kid, though. And so many of us have young kids.

At 49, I have an 11 and 7 yo.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Haven't read the whole thread, but I have to say that it's NEVER too late to change how you look. No, you can't turn back the clock and be 21 again. There are no do-overs. However, there are plenty of examples of men and women who in their 50s, 60s, and 70s (or even older) made the absolute most of what they have.

If you have money and can hire a personal trainer, look for one who will teach you how to get a bodybuilder's physique - this goes for women too. No, you won't end up looking like Arnold Schwarzenegger if you pick up a dumbbell heavier than 15 pounds. What you will do is build muscle, which is the key to looking and feeling youthful. Join a yoga or Pilates class to work on your flexibility. Drink a ton of water and get plenty of sleep. Watch what you eat and live on protein, healthy fats and fiber.

Life isn't over when you turn 50, 60 or 70. It can be whatever you want it to be. Check out these people:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/manitoba-grandparents-prep-for-provincial-bodybuilding-contest-1.1356926

OP here and again, it has nothing to do with how I look. I am already slim, have always worked out with a trainer and still run, and always wear make-up and have my hair colored. I never said that my life was over - I said I am now invisible.

I'm also in shape, color hair, etc. and find myself invisible in stores, restaurants, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The worst is walking into Sports Authority

This makes me laugh.

The second worst is walking into any of-the-moment restaurant on 14th St NW.

No the worst is walking into American Apparel.

[Anonymous]

i am about a decade younger than you and while i admit to feeling wistful about no longer turning heads, i am for the most part ok about it. it's not as bad or depressing as i would have imagined 15 years ago.

partly, i think because i am drawn to people (men and women) in my own age range ... and those are the people i notice ... and in that sense, it feels like nothing has changed. i am interacting with my peers as i always have. much younger men and women feel almost like another species, and cliche as it sounds their beautiful faces look bland their voices are often bland and they hold little interest for me. of course it is important to work to stay healthy and to try to look nice but still, it's all ok

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:50today is different than 50 when I wasxa kid, though. And so many of us have young kids.

At 49, I have an 11 and 7 yo.

I'm 49 and I have a 12 year old. But I don't kid myself that I look 30.

[Anonymous]

Why does it matter if you're invisible to people from a physical attractiveness perspective?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't really feel that it has anything to do with looks, it's just a general lack of acknowledgement or respect for women over about 50 or so. I don't know why, but it just seems built into our society somehow that it is okay to laugh at or be dismissive of older women both in popular culture and media and in everyday life.

I read posts on this board all the time that display this attitude toward women over 50: it is interesting to read the things people say here that they don't say out loud in real life. It's really given me an insight into what people are really thinking. You could look great, but if you are a woman over 50, many people either don't think about you at all or they assume you are some laughable stereotype.

it is not just women over 50. men become a target at work when they are over 50. there is rampant age discrimination in the tech industry. our society looks down on age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've always been an attractive woman and people often commented on my looks especially on my face. In my younger years, if I changed my lipstick by one shade friends and co-workers would notice. Last week I got about four inches cut off of my hair - went from a long bob to a short bob - and not one person even mentioned I got my hair cut.

I've been feeling invisible in other areas, too. A couple months ago a young (30 something) neighbor told me laughingly that her father (around my age) thought I was beautiful. She said it as if it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard.

Does a woman in her later years simply become invisible to younger people? (Although with the hair cut, even women my own age didn't notice.)

I am a 57 year old man and always notice 60ish women. And when I was 47 I noticed 60ish women. But I am not the type who checks them out and makes it obvious. And what do you mean invisible to younger people? I certainly do not expect women in their 20s to find me attractive. But I did get a smile from a woman of about 50 the other day........