Monday, September 03, 2018

Wrinkles

I'll be 70 next year.

Three years ago on the blog I wrote a post about my wrinkles. That was September too. There must be something about the sad September sun that makes me morose. Or is it the fading garden?

This year my wrinkles - which used to be just around my eyes and could be brushed off as laughter lines - have expanded and completely annexed my cheeks. One reason is that I like being in the sun; another is that I have lost weight. The third cause is genes.

That nice photo of me in my wedding hat that I posted a week or so ago does not show the full horror of the wrinkles. And now, to top the distress, I have some new glasses which were a big mistake. I started wearing glasses when I was three, gave them up for contacts when I was seventeen and I have only returned to them since my cataract operations.  I do not suit glasses. I hate glasses on me. Every time I need a new pair I am determined to get ones that suit me and every time I fail. This time the ones I REALLY wanted were a hundred pounds more expensive than the second choice, and I couldn't justify the extra expense. £400 for a pair of specs? Noooo! Do you have a notional top price you will pay for any given item? - jumper, bike, book, bottle of wine, theatre trip? I do.

But to get back to looks...

I recently bought some Chet Baker CDs:



Doesn't he look cool? I'd like to look as cool as that. But then he's young on this picture. Perhaps I could look that cool (with my sax) if I was young. 

Then I thought of one of my sax heroes - Ben Webster - who was old when he died, and a little overweight, and who wore a funny woollen hat which didn't suit him, and I realised that if an old person who is not favoured in the looks department is sufficiently talented, no-one cares a jot what they look like.

That still does not help me, as I don't have sufficient talent in any realm to get over the problem of my horrendous wrinkles. What to do? I finally understand why someone might want plastic surgery, though there are so many arguments against it for me personally that I won't bother you with them.

Personal vanity is a trial. Suggestions would be welcome. 



7 comments:

Phoebe said...

You’ve hit on a topic of great interest for me. I am not big spender, whether the items be clothes, theatre tix, hotel rooms, etc. But eyeglasses are the exception. I need my glasses from the minute I get up to when I shut off the light, and thus they have to be as attractive and flattering as possible, I collect fine prints and am always amazed at the wide choice of frames; when I first needed real eyeglasses, not the readers available in the pharmacy, I couldn’t believe how boring eyeglass frames were, regardless of price or designer label. But things have changed considerably in the last decade or so, and interesting and flattering frames have become widely available, even if expensive. My advice to you: if you’re not happy with the progress of your normal ageing, it’s all the more reason to splurge on the nicest, most flattering eyeglass frames available,

Sue Hepworth said...

Thanks for your thoughts, Phoebe. It’s good to hear from someone of a similar age, who also needs glasses.
I agree with you in principle. I just need to get over that deep down hump of what I consider to be a reasonable price to pay for glasses.

Anonymous said...

I don’t have wrinkles because I’m fat but if I had them I’d be proud of them. They’d be evidence of life still being lived. Get on with living your interesting, full and satisfying life and stop worrying about pointless things.

ana said...

A friend recounted her young granddaughter asking Nana, what are those lines. she thought it was train related, but little one pointed to her facial wrinkles ! Quickly she responded enquiring if little one liked the lines keeping a light jovial tone. Oh no, Nana! I DON’T like those lines! came the reply.
Little ones don’t do flattery!

Sue Hepworth said...

Ooh, Anonymous, that’s me told.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, Sue. You’re post surprised me in light of the rest of your concerns.

Sue Hepworth said...

That’s ok, anonymous. You’re absolutely right that it’s a trivial concern. But I share trivia as well as deep concerns on here. I know vanity is not good, but I am hopelessly flawed ( I love that expression. I got it from a film version of Little Women.) so you get me warts and wrinkles and all.