Seeing Beauty in Yourself

Rose Gerstner is the founder of Sympatico, an artisan-made clothing company. An advocate for sustainably made natural fiber clothing, she blogs about fashion from an earth-friendly perspective.

Mature women are often left out of the conversation around beauty and fashions in our culture.

As a mature woman with a lifelong interest in fashion, I’ve witnessed a lot of styles come and go. Hemlines have shortened and lengthened, synthetic fibers have grown omnipresent, and consumer attitudes toward clothing consumption have undergone dramatic changes for both better or worse.

But in my seven decades, one thing has remained fixed. Older women are generally ignored or ostracized when it comes to what our culture perceives as beauty. Sure, there were notable exceptions, especially in the 1960s when social norms were undergoing a continental shift. Indy films such as the celebrated Harold and Maude presented a different approach to depicting mature women. Veteran actor Ruth Gordon as Maude portrays a vivacious woman well into her eighties who is entirely poised and sure of herself despite her advanced age. In this charming May - December story, Maude is comfortable in her skin and confident in her personal style.

What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you focus on your flaws or do you see what you like about yourself? Finding a balance between realistically seeing imperfections such as wrinkles or saggy skin and outer beauty, say a nice smile, is part of my recipe for poise.

The norms for beauty in our culture have traditionally excluded older women. Fortunately, that is changing. Today older actresses are beginning to get starring roles, and fashion runways sometimes feature aging, grey-haired models. Google “mature model” and you’ll find hundreds of agencies occupying that niche today.

Similarly, more and more stories like this one have popped up in recent years observing the phenomenon of the mature model forging new inroads in fashion consciousness.

In my hemp and Tencel collection, designs like the Tuxedo Top offer natural grace and comfort for the real-word figures of mature women.

Still, the prevailing standard for beauty is youthful, and cosmetic surgery is quite common for women in the public eye. If you look in nature, it's clear that beauty comes in innumerable shapes, sizes and colors. Why wouldn't this also be true for humans? Clearly our social and cultural overlays play a big role in deciding what is beautiful.

But like so many modern, mature women, I want to be happy with my looks and recognize beauty in its many manifestations. Comfort with myself and dressing comfortably make me feel good, and that raises my confidence. Healthy food and regular exercise help. Poise, comfort and confidence are part of my beauty formula. What are the ingredients in your beauty formula?