“They told me ‘advertising is for dreams, not reality, and women dream to be young.’ That was their reasoning. It’s wrong of course. Not all women want to be blonde, thin, and young. But that’s the image companies want to sell. And you always have to fight it.” –Isabella Rossellini, on being sacked by Lancome I guess I’m odd…. Read More
Defending Beauty For Beauty’s Sake: Letting Go Of The Rules
If you retain nothing else, always remember the most important Rule of Beauty. “Who cares?†–Tina Fey A tuft of milkweed floss fluttered in the late afternoon sun. Attached to its dehydrated stalk, and entrenched in a meadow of past-perfect grasses, enchantment clung to the glimmering silk threads. I had my camera in hand and felt deeply drawn to the… Read More
Natural Beauty? I Choose Midlife Self-expression As My Choice
I found a money back guarantee on a beauty cream. Rushed down to the store. They took one look at me and paid me in advance. Phyllis Diller, stand-up routine, 1978 “It’s easy to see why you wear makeup. You just weren’t born a natural beauty like your sister and me.†Mom loved to appraise and to hurt. Over my… Read More
Menopause… Mother Nature Style
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.†— Lao Tzu Last week I was poetically whining about the slushy snowfall, and today we had a chance of breaking a Minnesota record by hitting 70 degrees three days in a row. In November. Let’s see…hot, cold. Hot, cold. That sounds vaguely familiar to my hot flashes. Could it be that… Read More
What Defines Beauty?
Beauty  I want to know if you can see beauty even when it’s not pretty, every day, and if you can source your own life from its presence. –From The Invitation, by Oriah Mountain Dreamer Lately I’ve been drawn to writings on the gifts of imperfection, on the quirky things that make a woman dazzle in a cookie-cutter culture, and… Read More