To the over 50 group - do you still wear sleeveless dresses?

[Gingee]

I just bought two pairs of shorts today. One is a longer jean type that hugs the legs and the other is fuller. I am trying to get longer shorts but gad, when it gets hot, the long ones will be hot.

[suenruss]

I'm 56. I'm more likely to wear almost anything more revealing now, than I was 15 or more years ago. No thinner, no heavier, just more confident.

And the way I figure it, in another 15-20 years, what I look like now is going to look damn fine!

I wasted my "babe" years being too self-conscious.

:rolleyes:

 

Hear Hear!!! I look back now and wish I looked like I did then :) If you worry about your slightly imperfect arms - wear a little shrug or stole and just enjoy yourself.

[Gablin]

I would wear sleeveless or even narrow strapped dresses and tops if I could. It's not that my arms are aged. (They are.) It is that I have to wear a compression sleeve on one arm, and sun and weather are not good for those sleeves, plus they need to be protected from being torn or rubbed, as they are expensive and insurance won't pay for as many as I wear out in a year. So, I wear long sleeves to protect my "medical equipment."

 

If I did not have to wear a compression sleeve, I would be in sleeveless or short sleeves in hot weather.

 

I wear capris or shorts in hot weather and I do not worry about others seeing the effects of 69 years of gravity. I even wear a swimsuit for short swims, sans compression sleeve.

[Lucky Granny]

I am trying to make myself wear sleeveless, since that is what is available and most stylish to buy, but am also plagued by wrinkley, empty skin. There are muscles in there from weightlifting for years, but the skin just doesn't fit anymore. I have long abandoned worrying about how my ugly feet look in sandals....my attitute there was that, whenever everyone but the most beautiful covers their faces, then I will cover my feet. So far, nobody is wearing a bag on their head, so my feet are in sandals. I am trying to have the same attitude toward my arms and having a little success. I wear knee-length shorts and bathing suits when I swim. I won't miss fun in the water with grandkids because of vanity. Nor do I miss seeing a sight because I was too vain to wear sneakers. Life is too short.

[SeaBlu]

I am glad you brought up this subject because it is something that I have been giving a LOT of thought to recently. For a number of different reasons we have not been on a cruise for 2 1/2 years, we are finally going on a cruise on Celebrity Solstice in June 2010. We are taking our grandchildren (10 & 12) on a 1 week Caribbean Cruise.

 

WELL, over the past 4 months I have lost 30 pounds, good you may say BUT, I am 62 years old, and because I was not working out or weight training ( I have a spinal problem in my neck and stopped working out 5 years ago) I realized I have a developed rather unsightly upper arm saggy bags and upper inner thigh bagginess. YUK! So I say to my DH, "I guess I have lost enough weight that I have gone from and 18 to a 12 BUT now my body is so ugly I can't wear a bathing suit and everything I do wear has to have sleeves."

 

DH says "are you nuts?" "So you are 62 and don't look 25 anymore, you are still beautiful to me, I don't care if you have a few baggy places!"

 

So now I do not know what to do. I tried on a bathing suit with a skirt, it looked terrible and did not hide what I wanted it to hide anyway.

I tried on a new strapless dress and it really looked pretty good. So a part of me wants to just wear what I want to wear and know that the only opinion that really counts will be my DH and my grandchildren but a part of me wants to cover everything up and hide.

 

What do you all think???

[10splyr]

DH is right: wear what you are comfortable in. You are dressing for yourself (and maybe DH), but forget about what others think. You will probably never see them again so who cares:). We can't all be Jane Fonda (no flames about politics please) or insert some other 50+ well-toned person who can afford a personal trainer, etc. blah blah blah. I play competitive tennis several times a week and yet my arms are nothing to rave about, but I wear what I want. Yes, I wish they weren't wrinkled, but on the other hand, I am still alive and enjoying life. So go for it and do what you want:D:D

[srlafleur]

I prefer capris to shorts. I haven't recently found many shorts that flatter my figure (I kinda look like a 12 year old boy from the girls, down). Also, I have good (enough) legs, but they are glow-in-the-dark white and I don't want to blind anyone. (Nope, not going tanning)

Actually, while I'm a sleeveless proponent, that's one thing that gives me pause when I wear sleeveless - the permanent "farmer" tan line on my arms from wearing short sleeves all my life (sunscreen or no). The shoulders are neon, the arms, while pale, are a slightly darker shade of pale. And this is why long gloves originally came into fashion hundreds of years ago, to show off the creamy shoulders, whilst hiding the leathery arms. Too bad they're not still a fashion mainstay.:rolleyes:

[hi2you]

I'm 56. I'm more likely to wear almost anything more revealing now, than I was 15 or more years ago. No thinner, no heavier, just more confident.

And the way I figure it, in another 15-20 years, what I look like now is going to look damn fine!

I wasted my "babe" years being too self-conscious.

:rolleyes:

I echo your thoughts. I just turned 40 and have always been conservative. Though I feel more comfy with a sleeve, the 'formal' dresses tend to be sleeveless.

[Gingee]

Well I know I am not alone in my thoughts about clothes.

[coka]

This is a great thread Gingee! I am 46, have five older sisters most in their fifties and I swear I have to learn everything here. I thank all the fabulous women who posted their answers here and in the past. I am a little ticked at my sisters who never told me about batwings, the badger club, everything going south no matter how you try, and getting out of bed in the morning while your face remains on the pillow.

 

I remember taking my bra off at 32 and the girls did not stay where they used to. At 35 I learned about saddle bags. I remember at 40 looking sideways and my butt was no longer round. My first deep facial wrinkle was noticed at 42. Three years ago I looked at the back of my legs in a full length mirror and saw the little indentations appearing in my legs. Two years ago my hands got spots on them. Last year I woke up and had a stomach pouch for the first time in my life. Now I have side handles along with baby bat wings when I wave.

 

Do I long for my twenties, thirties, and early forties? Not at all. I sooooo look forward to turning 50 and I can not wait! I have been practicing my attitude and all of you here truly inspire me. None of my cruise clothes fit me anymore. Thank goodness for shoes! Or, am I now going to find out the feet and size of them change too? hehehe

 

Thank you ladies for the great attitudes and the inspiring outlooks!

 

coka

[Lucky Granny]

SeaBlu, buy the strapless ddress and wear it. If you think you might "chicken out", bring a short shrug with a ruffle around it to put on until you regain your confidence and courage.

[klauer]

I don't think that it is inevitable that you are going to have batwings, flabby thighs, etc. by the time you turn 50. For most people it takes work -- eating a healthy diet with proper portion control and doing strength training and/or cardio most days of the week. I am over 50 and there are plenty of women I see at the gym who are older than I am and in great shape. They don't look like they are in their 20s, but they certainly don't have to worry about looking good in shorts and sleeveless tops.

[coka]

I don't think that it is inevitable that you are going to have batwings, flabby thighs, etc. by the time you turn 50. For most people it takes work -- eating a healthy diet with proper portion control and doing strength training and/or cardio most days of the week. I am over 50 and there are plenty of women I see at the gym who are older than I am and in great shape. They don't look like they are in their 20s, but they certainly don't have to worry about looking good in shorts and sleeveless tops.

 

I swear I do that! I work out and eat healthy. Maybe I need to change things up a bit.

 

coka

[ookpik]

This is a great thread Gingee! I am 46, have five older sisters most in their fifties and I swear I have to learn everything here. I thank all the fabulous women who posted their answers here and in the past. I am a little ticked at my sisters who never told me about batwings, the badger club, everything going south no matter how you try, and getting out of bed in the morning while your face remains on the pillow.

 

I remember taking my bra off at 32 and the girls did not stay where they used to. At 35 I learned about saddle bags. I remember at 40 looking sideways and my butt was no longer round. My first deep facial wrinkle was noticed at 42. Three years ago I looked at the back of my legs in a full length mirror and saw the little indentations appearing in my legs. Two years ago my hands got spots on them. Last year I woke up and had a stomach pouch for the first time in my life. Now I have side handles along with baby bat wings when I wave.

 

Do I long for my twenties, thirties, and early forties? Not at all. I sooooo look forward to turning 50 and I can not wait! I have been practicing my attitude and all of you here truly inspire me. None of my cruise clothes fit me anymore. Thank goodness for shoes! Or, am I now going to find out the feet and size of them change too? hehehe

 

Thank you ladies for the great attitudes and the inspiring outlooks!

 

coka

 

I laughed so much at this!!You have great sense of humour!:D:D

[Beanie01]

OK, it's not fair. Why is it only women care about these things, and the men don't give a s--- about how they look! I've see many a man, mid-40's and up, who look like crap, and look much older than they are and couldn't care less about how they look and what they wear. I'm 50 and single and use the online dating sites. I'm still a size 6/8, and work hard for it, and when I see these men my own age who look 10 years older with big bellies popping out, my attitude is find me someone 10 years younger!

 

Time to put the pressure on men!!!

[srlafleur]

I don't think that it is inevitable that you are going to have batwings, flabby thighs, etc. by the time you turn 50. For most people it takes work -- eating a healthy diet with proper portion control and doing strength training and/or cardio most days of the week. I am over 50 and there are plenty of women I see at the gym who are older than I am and in great shape. They don't look like they are in their 20s, but they certainly don't have to worry about looking good in shorts and sleeveless tops.

Working out and dieting can only do so much in the tug-of-war with gravity.

To be honest, I think an "older" woman looks better a bit "fluffy", when compared to the stringy muscles under saggy skin that seems to be our other aging option.

[travel girl23]

I wore sleeveless blouses/dresses way into my 50's but when I got into my 60's no way. I just don't feel my arms look as good so I don't wear sleeveless at all. I do wear capris and I have a couple that roll up to just above my knee that I love. No shorts any more. (Well, I do wear shorts around the house).

[Gingee]

Ya - how come guys can get away with flubber and we don't or maybe they really don't either. We just don't pay attention to them and their flubber as we do ours.

[ashxoxo89]

Mother was 52 on her last cruise here is her dress- sleeveless!!

 

[rian90]

I am not quite 50 yet and I hate my arms! I have been working out lately, after years of watching my once slender size 7 self become mildly overweight. Today, I noticed my right arm is not so bad but I have the very beginnings of underarm flab on the left arm!! So my computer mouse must be doing something for my right arm? LOL

 

I have a goal to wear sleeveless tops and dresses on our September trip. I spent some extra workout time today punching bags in my kids Wii game! :)

[momofmeg]

My niece is getting married in an outside venue next month at sunset. The bridesmaids are wearing street length dresses, and my sis says the requested dress is casual. I bought a cotton eyelet sundress. This sundress is sleeveless instead of strapless or spaghetti straps, so more appropriate for my age.

[Buster27]

While I think the attitude of "wear what you want" is a good one and I applaud those with enough confidence not to care.....

 

I do think women with heavy flabby arms (LIKE MYSELF) look terrible in sleeveless things. They can have on a beautiful dress but the arms will ruin it........sorry....just my opinion...... I will not wear sleeveless without a wrap or a shrug of some sort.

 

I have seen so many women wearing sleeveless that just look horrible.....it's like your eyes are drawn to that flappy flab.

 

Maybe it's just me !!!!!

[brooklynfc]

My mom just turned 54 and I think she looks her best in sleeveless shirts. Go for it. I have plus size jiggly arms, but I know when I'm in 90 degree humid weather sleeves are going to be a pain in the ........you know.

[Texaswinediva]

OK, it's not fair. Why is it only women care about these things, and the men don't give a s--- about how they look! I've see many a man, mid-40's and up, who look like crap, and look much older than they are and couldn't care less about how they look and what they wear. I'm 50 and single and use the online dating sites. I'm still a size 6/8, and work hard for it, and when I see these men my own age who look 10 years older with big bellies popping out, my attitude is find me someone 10 years younger!

 

Time to put the pressure on men!!!

 

This is so true. Men don't have to care about their looks. All they need

is money to get the younger girls. I've seen so many older men with

out-of-shape bodies with younger women. So why should they take care

of themselves. They don't have to.

[Kinkacruiser]

I'm past 50; I'm past 60; and I'm slightly past 70. Do I wear sleeveless???? You bet I do! Are my arms wonderful???? Heck no!:)

 

I'm old enough to realize people spend too much time worrying about a clean house (I still do, though!) or worrying about what other people think of how they look. Neat, clean, properly dressed (even sleeveless when your arms still wave after you've finished waving) are important in my estimation.

 

I'm taking a leaf out of your book, as I think too much about what others think. Good on you...l admire your positive attitude.:)