Isn't it funny how a picture can sometimes remind you of how old you are? or worse still, remind you of how old others are. Recently, I came across some pictures of some friends on facebook. They were all dressed rather...ehhhh "skimpy". Their poses were secondary school poses...I don't know I can explain it...I will try...You know the sort of pose you did with your babes back in secondary school with everybody doing their best pout and showing off whatever asset you had to the fullest? Well, it was those sort of poses. The funny thing is I do love taking pictures with my friends and I don't know if there is a certain rule when you get older...other than being dignified....how can I explain this? I'll leave it to your imagination.
Anyway, so here I am looking through these pics and feeling a bit ashamed...don't ask me why, its not as if I am in there...so I call a friend of mine and before I say anything, she says out loud what I had been thinking "aren't they too old for all that?", and I agreed. I guess I was embarassed by the childish picture of 30 something year old women revealing their assets in such a public forum. Now, considering that I must be the most liberal person I know, I was surprised that it bothered me. So, being that I am never one to shy away from confronting my thoughts, I wrote a list of different observations...I guess I have a somewhat "old" prejudice.
1.And this gets me everytime. I can't stand rappers over 35. Anytime I see Dr dre, Ice cube, Jay Z, Snoop Dog...damn...I get irritated immediately.I know many people would say Rap should be treated as any other genre of music. After all, jazz and classic music are full of old men. The thing is, my brain just does not get the whole baseball shirts and hanging jeans. Maybe its because I never lived in the states, I don't know. I just think they should all retire and start producing or something.
2.I was at a wedding once and saw an older woman, maybe about 56 or so, she was wearing the most beautiful iro and buba, a bit too open at the front, but that did not even disturb me, what disturbed me was the make-up she had on her face. The colours! Oh Lord, the colours! I know the only reason I reacted was because she was older...I doubt if I would have looked twice if the make-up was on a 16 year old, as I would have just put it all down to trial and error, but on a woman over 50, I wondered how long she had been going around like that.
3. Okay, this one really annoys me and both men and women are fond of doing this. Is it really by force to "feel among"? You know the type, 40 something year old, wants so much to still be in the "in" crowd so decides to start hanging out with younger folks. They also love talking about the latest films, music, fashion, trends(the ones that in his/her mind are so "in") and end up making a total fool of themselves. Well, I do have younger friends and I do take the occasional coffee and drink with them but I always know my place...yep, I have done it all before... and I am so happy to have left that phrase of my life behind, so I do not have any need to hang on...it was fun while it lasted.
Sometimes I think society has changed....it has to be...I was thinking, what did my father do when he was 40? Well, apart from his wife and children, job and different social responsibilities...what else did he do? He was a very social human being like I am and our house was always open to friends and relatives....his friends visited with their own families...we had family outings...we travelled together....what else? He read newspapers, had political discussions with friends....watched news...did our homework...went to the village to visit his mum...went out on dinners with my mum...was a member of rotary and redcross...what else? Okay, I really can't remember him having the lifestyle a lot of men and women are living in our society...wait...I do remember him having younger friends...but mostly people looking for jobs or advice or help in one thing or the other...
Well, I guess times have changed then...the days of agbayas are now in. So the next time you go to facebook and see a friend of yours on a table with outlandish make-up, pls, do not judge, times have changed.
Questions: What did your parents do when they were 40 or older? What do you think the differnce is between their society and ours? Is it that they just did not know how to have fun? Were they just weighed down with so many responsibilities that they never had the time? Or did they have fun too but not the way we do these days?
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7 comments:
i totally agree with u on this, i guess as they say age is a thing of the mind for most but for a few of us we refuse to ignore the age factor cos we beleive we need to move on as our years count on.
I recently had a relook at my pics on face book and thought how boring compared to other ppls own...So ona crazy night out my friends and I had some crazy pics taken...
silly, but it worked...got loads of emails saying wow u r looking good and havin fun...cold want kill me here, which fun?
My point is...I dont like garish cheap over revealing dressing but at the same time lets not turn to those women who get married and loose everything their husbands chased them for...
my right after sec secondary schl pictures are hilarious.....
Great post, surprising seeing you're a liberal but I hear you though. Old rappers crack me up. Their excuse is that hip-hop is a culture, but there is something definitely wrong with a near forty father of 3 going on about being a "Pimp". Too much make up on any age is not on but as you say, the make-up efforts of young can be excused as trial and error.
Generally though, times have definitely changed from our parents' generation. For starters we definitely relate to our children in a different way from our parents generation. There's just more to do now that wasn't available when our parents were 40, the world has changed and so has many people's outlook on life.
what my parents did after 40? hmm, considering the fact that my dad married at about 36, i'd say they were making babies, and also generally enjoying life in whatever way, i really cant remember now(hey, i was born exactly when he clucked 40 and she 30)
i guess i'm in a very liberal mood right now, so whatever makes anyone tick, let them do jare.
nice write-up, but dont let the foolishness (or not) of pple get to u too much, cuz everyone has a funny way of coping with life's oddities.
Too old? Excuse me. I love rap and the shady/aftermath crew are the bomb. As for make up, skin and cleaveage, it depends. My definition of beauty is, when you see it, you will know.I know a 9ja lady in her mid fifties who likes to show skin, and believe me, she is gorgeous!!!
I think one should stop being fun just cause you are getting older.
I guess one man meat is another man poison but i beg our generation own too much.I cant understand 40s and above dressing indecently in the name of being fashion conscious and even men are not left out.May God save us
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