The Rise of the Over-50 Fashion Mentors (Published 2022)

TikTok has become a place for middle-aged and older women to share their aging journeys joyfully. Amelia Crook (@misplacedstyle) has launched a startup after reclaiming her style (and gray hair). @StyleLikeU, a platform dedicated to the self-acceptance revolution, ran a campaign on Defying Ageism. They interviewed beloved style icon Stacy London (y... See more

There’s a modern phenomenon whereby personal style—on the body, in the home—is understood as a separate track of identity. It’s a mode of expression we’re meant to perfect through mimetic desire and buying the right stuff. I’m thinking, for instance, of dressing like a “coastal grandma,” without otherwise inhabiting the relevant lifestyle choices. ... See more

These women have thoroughly internalized the male gaze, their to-be-looked-at-ness, and arrived at a place of incredible power — as objects. Their struggle, as evidenced by the ample time we spend with those who’ve “retired,” is figuring a sense of self outside of that objecthood.