Fifty is the new twenty-five

There’s an aura about her. The elegant 50-something at the bar or at the gym; her poise has the scent of experience, her tone is confident. She is what the Indian woman is morphing into. 

Just a decade ago, this woman smelled of baby-powder and vanilla essence, her body camouflaged in inconspicuous- wear, she faced the camera only for family portrait. Her world revolved around her loved ones, the kitchen, the grocery shop and if the times demanded it, a makeshift career. She stayed put, she stayed married whether it worked for her or not. 

But it is a totally different story now. She is wise, well read well maintained, fit, articulate and technology savvy. Her French manicured hand says it all. She knows about the happenings around her and the cosmetic industry like the back of her hand. Teeny boppers might scoff at the idea of living up life at fifty, but that’s just the ignorance of youth. They can be forgiven. For the wiser ones it is no secret that the prime of your life starts when you hit your fifties.

The fifty something diva may be spotting a few tattoos and a hip nose stud, but she knows how to carry her self with grace and elegance. She is confident and is known for her achievements. She is much more free and at peace with her life and hence that calmness shows on her face. She has an aura around herself that makes everybody’s head turn towards her. Today’s fifty something are much more confident probably because of their experience. She is much more at peace with her life and hence the calmness shows on her face. She is no more struggling to make a place in the society. She has established her self and is much more economically independent than her younger counterparts. She has finished her duties and hence has money to spend on herself.

This demi goddess knows the cosmetic industry like the little lines around her eyes, she know the financial market like the beginning of grey around her temples and she knows how to work both to her advantage. The New Diva didn’t just  crawl out from under a rock… she stepped out of fire This fifty something diva knows that growing old is a happy experience. They know that as you grow old in life your happiness should not be declined. Older people are just as happy as younger ones, if not more.

Today’s fifty something divas does not fear conventions and traditions because she has seen what life is all about, has finished her duties and earns her own living. Renowned psychologist Dr.Anjali Chabria says, “When a woman reaches the fifty something age, she understands herself better. Fifty is indeed the new twenty five. These divas are less inhibited, have more experience of life, more understanding and less hang ups,” adds Dr.Chabria. 

Vinodini Rao, a fifty something yoga instructor says, “I always tell my yoga students  to age gracefully and to think young and to think freely and not to keep any burdens on their head that I feel will make them remain young from within and outside.” 

Vinodini further adds, “The most women whom I have met are women who in their forties and fifties and one of them is my mother who is in her sixties. She is independent, free and runs her own boutique. She can concentrate in her work and in herself more now than in her thirties when she was busier bringing us up. In fact with each passing year she is becoming younger and stylish and she understands fashion much more than me. She is well travelled and well read.”

The early years of adulthood are spent with concerns about career, starting a family which was followed by children’s education, buying a house, buying a car- the list is endless. But things take a very easy and pleasant turn when you hit your fifties. “I gave up my job when I became a mother at twenty-eight when I was blessed with twins. But now that my daughters are on their own and can take care of themselves, I have come back to work and started writing all over again for a leading lifestyle magazines,” says Sudeshna Chakraborty, a journalist by profession.

Vinodini, says, “It is very difficult to tell the age of a woman today. You look at her and wonder is she 35 or is she 40? And then you are amused to find out that she is 52, and it is lot to do with the way women are taking care of them selves.

Today’s fifty something divas are completely at ease with themselves. They are not desperate to look young. In fact they feel young from within and they know how to carry themselves with grace. Fashionista Rita Dhody adds, “Be brave to throw away your old clothes which are not working for you. Don’t be desperate to hold on to your age. Wear neat straight cuts. The biggest fashion mistake people make is to wear outfits that does not go with their age. Today’s women in their fifties are much more style conscious and sensible than what they wear a decade back. They look much more refined and attractive as never before. They know how to take care of them selves. They are conscious about their diet and regular with their fitness regime.”

You may call her aunty, just out of habit. But you will be unsettled and ashamed of yourself to see her ‘now’ ness, but that svelte 50 something is going to have her say and make heads turn. She is tough, but she is wise. She is cute and astute. She is going to raise the bar for you. Her moon is rising and her tribe will increase.