I had heard about The Fabulous Fashionistas documentary, the story of six strong, powerful and immensely stylish women defying cultural stereotypes about aging, when it was first released in 2013. It wasn’t until I ordered and watched the film that I realized just how inspiring their stories were. These six women, with an average age of 80, are redefining, no more than that, defying the aging process with grace, panache and a large dose of attitude.

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The opening words sum up the spirit of the documentary and slash right through a common visual representation of age in modern society, not so much from the words themselves, but from the visual presence of the speaker. This is not a woman that believes growing old means becoming invisible.

“Getting older doesn’t have to mean going into a care home and sitting in a circle with one’s mouth open and ones teeth dropping out,” says 75-year-old Jean.

So what lessons can we learn from these six extraordinary, and highly inspirational, women?

1. Attitude – “You have to pit yourself against the aging process.”

This was the top one for me. All six women literally ooze self-confidence and attitude. The word positivity doesn’t do them justice. The women simply have an effervescent glow born from a life lived, and still being lived to the full. All have outlived their husbands, some their children, and have an attitude that squeezes out the very juice of life.

“You have to pit yourself against the aging process and mustn’t allow it in. The minute you give an inch, life or illness will take a mile.” Says dancer and choreographer, Gilly.

Their style and attitude is not just about the clothes that they wear, and all are immensely stylish, but how they think about age and the future. “When you are 90, you don’t think about the future, you are damn lucky to be here,” says 91-year-old Baroness Trumpington. The collective prism through which they see and engage with life is one that sees growing old as a privilege, even an adventure.

2. Purpose – “To retire is dangerous.”

Purpose is key to each of the women and all six are socially and economically active. From Baroness Trumpington, a Life Peer at the House of Lords, to 75 year old Jean who works in a fashion boutique after being Gap’s oldest employee, the six women have active careers that span the arts, fashion industry and politics. As Gilly says, “to retire is dangerous”.

Daphne is 85 and the oldest model in England. Rediscovered at the age of 70, she says it is her long grey hair that the camera likes and I can’t disagree with her. “Older women have money, they want clothes to wear,” she says. In short, they want to see women like themselves modeling, and have got the time, freedom and cash to look and feel good.

As well as having a lot of fun, Daphne sees her work as a political statement, confronting ageism in society. Daphne is at the forefront of shaping new social representations.

 

3. Style – “The moment you start to let everything go, is the moment you are old.”

“It is frightfully important to look good,” says Baroness Trumpington, “The moment you start to let everything go is the moment you are old”. Whether it is Baroness Trumpington’s guilty pleasure of shopping, in particular, ordering clothes from catalogues, or Bridget who puts together amazing colourful outfits on a shoe string budget; her most expensive item being an $8 pair of Doctor Martin boots from a charity shop, the women are determined to look good.

As one of the more eclectic dressers, Sue, also in her 70s, makes heads turn as she walks down the street. “If I like something, I wear it a lot. I put it on for me.” Working as an artist and curator, she sees style as a liberator from the tyranny of fashion. The women dress for themselves and believe that style is not so much about trying to look young, but is about a strong sense of identify, fun and pleasure.

4. Keeping Fit – “I don’t give a damn what people think about me.”

My mouth literally dropped open when Gilly told us her age. A ballet dancer, actress and choreographer of CATS and Phantom of the Opera, Gilly is simply stunning, vivacious and living life to the full.  At 87, she doesn’t give a damn what anyone thinks about her. “The only person I care about whether he thinks well or not of me is my husband,” who, by the way, is 27 years her junior. They married when she was 52 and he was just 25.

Gilly starts the day with 40 stretches, despite having two new hips and metal pins in her legs, whilst Jean, who has had a knee operation runs three times a week. Cycling, walking, Tai Chi, yoga and dance; the women keep active and fit. “There is no second chance,” Gilly says.

 

5. Presence –  “I never think of my age.”

And maybe most importantly, particularly in redefining the aging process, was presence. Not passivity but active, engaged, rich, deep and determined presence to be in and with life. Getting older was something yet to happen. “I never think of my age,” says Daphne. The interest and love of life, as it is happening, is a common theme through out, with an almost absolute refusal to give up.

“When you are in your 80s and 90s you can see death, you think about death, but you choose life.” It was as if in the letting go of seeing others around them move on and out of the world, there was a belief that all would be ok for themselves; the process of death and the hope of not being a burden were their greatest fears.

These six inspirational women are pioneers for a different type of old age, one with attitude, style and a determination to live life to the very full, to its very end.

I both laughed and cried during my whirlwind viewing of the Fabulous Fashionistas. As a social scientist, who studied social representations and their importance in the formation of culture, I was delighted, and inspired by these six role models of a new way of aging. We don’t have to wait for our 80s to learn these five lessons, they can change not only the way we think about old age, or the way we dress and show up in the world, but in the way we live our life right now.

 

Visit the Energise Life page to find out more about Natalie's work.

Images: www.christopher-kennedy.com, www.channel4.com

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