They don’t travel well together.
It would seem, in the eyes of our culture, that once we have gathered an abundance of one (if ,indeed, we are LUCKY enough) , we lose the other. Does it bother me that nowadays my skin is always dry, I’ve got grey hairs where I never thought they’d appear, my muscles ache and the frown lines and age spots are permanent? Hell yeah. Do I want to fret over it, let aging define me, now that I’ve stepped over the line of middle middle age? Not if I can help it. It’s a waste of time and energy. And you know… there really is something to be said for experience that comes only with age. A feeling of being more comfortable in your own skin, dry, drooping, wrinkled and spotted as it may be. There is liberation in allowing yourself to be exactly who you are, no apologies. I didn’t give myself that permission during my youthful years.
I read an interview last night with Demi Moore – You know… I feel sorry for her right now, she’s just been hospitalized for exhaustion, etc. and I applaud her for getting the help she needs during what is surely a horrendous time in her life. I can’t image the pressures of being married to another celebrity 15 years your junior in that world of dominating youth and glamour and perceived bodily perfection. In the fish eye lens, everything they do is scrutinized… their relationship status, their mental status, their body weight, their flaws, etc. etc. etc… the media circles like vultures waiting for the animal to start the decline. Is the glory in that profession worth the agony?
Anyway… the interviewer asked her how she felt about her body and this is part of what she had to say… the part that stood out and deserves applause.
“I think I sit today in a place of greater acceptance of my body, and that includes not just my weight, but all of the things that come with your changing body as you age. I am now experiencing my body as extremely thin, thin in a way that I never imagined somebody would be saying to me, “You’re too thin, and you don’t look good”. I find peace when I don’t see my body as my enemy, when I step back and have appreciation and look at all that my body has done for me. It’s allowed me to give birth to three beautiful children, allowed me to explore different roles as an actor, allowed me to be strong. You can’t look at yourself in the mirror and tear your body apart. You have to look at it and say….
