The Growing Older Double Standard – Men can basically do what they want as they get older – with little repercussion or questioning from the world around him. My husband can grow his hair long, get a tattoo, and buy a motorcycle and people around him will give him high fives and say how cool it all is. I don’t get the same reaction. When I told people that I wanted to learn how to ride the new motorcycle all I got was a dry “Really?” with a side of “Why would you want to do that?” look on their faces.
Or, maybe I like going out with my husband to have a few drinks and get a little tipsy without people thinking I’m a little old for that. Throw in some bowling or axe throwing fun and I might now be considered trashy while my husband appears fun-loving. It’s the The Growing Older Double Standard between men and women.
The Growing Older Double Standard
But much like women earning less than men or being chosen over when a new position opens up, we take some heat when we are looking to do something different at our age, meanwhile, the men are living it up. At my age, I’m feeling it’s now or never with a lot of things. I want to try things and live a little now that my kids are becoming more independent.
If I’m confident enough, I’d like to be able to wear a two-piece instead of a one piece bathing suit without feeling like all (shocked) eyes are on me. Men of all shapes and sizes don’t seem to have to think about that.
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And… if I decide I want to get a little nip and tuck work done, why not? We will never get these years back, and for the past 10 years it’s been all about the kids. It’s nice to be able to spread it out a bit now and think about me a little once again.
I’m not sure what the timeline is, but it seems as though women who hit forty are expected to become more subdued with their lifestyle, when in fact, we might want to take a step back and say “The time is now. What am I going to do with it?”
How many The Growing Older Double Standards can you think of?
