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aging

When Age Isn’t Just a Number

September 22, 2014 By Lena

It’s a conversation I’ve had with women from time to time; a lofty discussion about our age, and looks, and how others perceive us.

“Everyone thinks I’m 24,” states one woman haughtily, who has been blessed with a smooth, line-free face. “I was carded the other day – again,” proclaims another, tossing her long, thick locks behind her shoulder. “I only get hit on by teenagers!” laughs yet another, shrugging her shoulders in a gesture of false modesty. “It’s not my fault they think I’m so young.”

The truth is, we’re all well into our thirties. (Maybe forties, for some.) And as non-smoking, health-focused and fashionable women, it’s only natural that we enjoy a youthful appearance; one that veils our true year of birth. And let’s be honest – unless you’re 14 years old and trying to sneak into a bar, no woman wants to look older than she is. So, we continue to live our lives, having conversations like this, immersed in a culture that assures us we should strive to look younger than our age, and pat ourselves on the back when we do.

Lately, this notion has started to offend me.

After much thought, I’ve decided that I want to look 36-years old, and not a day younger. Certainly not a day older; but not for the reasons you may assume (we’ll discuss that later). I want to look 36-years old because I have earned every year that I have lived. I place value on every achievement, every obstacle, every win, every defeat. For if someone says, “Lena! I thought you were 24 years old….” well, let’s see. At 24, I may have had a university degree, but I didn’t have my corporate career, my marriage, my children, or my own business. And so the value – the level of respect, admiration, esteem or regard – I would appear to have is akin to another 24-year old, or a 24-year old me. And that’s not who I am. To say I look 2, 5 or even 10 years younger actually belittles every single accomplishment; every single stride I’ve made towards a better me.

In truth, I’m too good to look like a younger woman. I’m too smart, too motivated, too successful – and I want the respect that comes with those attributes. A twenty-something Lena spent her nights in bars. I spend my nights with my family. Or in a 5-star hotel. Or being awesome.
photo (3)So you know what? Please don’t be tempted to tell me that I look younger than I am. Because 10 out of 10 times, I’d rather be called a “stunning woman” by an older gentleman than a “hot chick” by some young punk.

As for why I don’t want to look a day older? Simple. I haven’t earned it yet.

Filed Under: Beauty Tagged With: aging, perceptions of beauty, women's health

Are Flipper Feet in My Future?

April 20, 2012 By Lena

I’m filing this one under: AGING SUCKS.

And, it does the WEIRDEST things to your body.

Case in point: I’ve been a size 7 shoe for almost my entire life – certainly ever since my foot stopped growing around the age of sixteen. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my bestie – a confirmed size 7 whom I often swapped footwear with during our clubbing days (noticeably CFM* boots).

(*If you don’t know what CFM boots are, you’ll have to Google it. Sorry, I’m too old to use that kind of language.)

Anyhoo, I noticed a strange trend over the past few months – shoes that I’ve worn for YEARS suddenly felt very uncomfortable near the toes. The shoes clearly were too tight – my feet ached in protest if tried to slip them on for any length of time. Huh?

So last night, I had my husband bring up a storage box filled with old shoes – the ones I was hesitant to give away (hoping the style would recycle in the not-to-distant future). There were shoes and shoes and shoes.

And none of them fit. They were ALL too small. What.the.hell.

Exhibit A: These Barbie by David Dixon shoes were worn when I was 35 weeks pregnant. Do you know what women’s feet look like when baby-to-be is due? They’re swollen, take on manatee-like proportions and often lack a certain sex appeal.


(Of course, I’m still rocking my creepy skeletal feet, but trust me, they were quite larger than what I’m used to.)

And so when I came across the shoes last night I naturally thought, “These will fit for sure! If they fit while I was pregnant, certainly I can get into them now!”…. Yeah, not so much. Waaaay too tight.

So what gives? According to Terence Vanderheiden, D.P.M., “Feet can increase in size as you get older. Your feet are not really growing, but the tendons and ligaments tend to get stretched out and this leads to a larger foot size.” Also, weight gain (perhaps from 2 pregnancies in 2 years?) can also place pressure on the feet, slowly stretching and loosening the muscles.

The result: Mama needs some new shoes!

I have decided to embrace my newly size 8 feet and look forward to re-building my shoe collection, one pair at time. To begin, let’s start by coveting these colour block looks from Town Shoes:

Have your feet changed size over the years? I’d really like to think I’m not the only one!

Filed Under: Fashion Tagged With: aging, Lena, shoes, Town Shoes

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Lena Almeida

Toronto Blogger, Social Media Strategist for Listen to Lena Inc. Television & Radio Personality, Columnist and Speaker. Family Travel Expert. Star Wars Fanatic. Perfecting the Art of Conversuasion. Read More…

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