I’m skeptically thrilled. Not only did Editor in Chief of Allure magazine, Michelle Lee, have the balls to put an “Old Lady”, i.e. the beautiful Helen Mirren on the cover, but she also put out a call to the beauty industry to end “anti-aging”.
I literally ran into Barnes & Noble on Rittenhouse Square yesterday to hunt this baby down. What a cover! What a woman! What an editor!
On one hand, I am thrilled! Finally, an effort is being taken to put an end to the phrase “anti-aging” and everything it stands for. On the other hand, I can’t help but think “is this a one-time issue thing?”
Let’s see if it is truly the end of “anti-aging” and not just a one-trick pony tale!
Let’s address this. Shall we?
I was a subscriber to Allure magazine for many, many years. In fact, I’ve even had a couple of my letters to the editor published. When the magazine first came to be I loved that models and/or celebrities were photographed without makeup. I loved the articles. It was a great magazine.
The first cover….
..and another early cover. The articles were great back then..
When the magazine was delivered, I would wait until the kids were in school to read it. After the housework was done, I would sit on the sofa in the family room and absorb the contents from cover to cover. During the summer months, the magazine was a regular item in my beach and pool bag.
I do believe this beach bag from J. Crew is as old as Allure magazine is! It is the bag I lugged my Allure to the beach and pool!
And as I aged, Allure failed to do the same. Like the woman stuck in a time warp of beauty and fashion, the magazine seemed to be a time machine that was stuck on “young woman”. And forgot about the reader who started off with the magazine. She aged. The magazine didn’t.
Do you remember this delightful packaging from Helena Rubinstein Tulips? I do–but the model is stuck in a time warp. And Allure magazine was stuck in the “youth” time warp. I must say, I DO love this packaging!
Like a woman jilted by many lovers and over the years who lost trust in men, I feel the same about magazines. Beauty and fashion. I’ve read many of them over the years and as I aged, felt jilted because I was the forgotten reader. The forgotten demographic. The woman tossed aside for someone younger and supposedly better.
It’s ok Natalie. I lost the love of the beauty industry. Waaaaaahhhhh!!!
I allowed my subscriptions to lapse. Vogue, Glamour, et.al. —even Allure. They no longer spoke to me nor did they speak to my generation and generations of women older than me.
The one subscription that I still have, and don’t even bother to read anymore is In Style. It used to be a great publication. I’m using the latest issue as a makeshift mouse pad. The previous issues have been thrown in the trash the day I receive them. The magazine completely lost me as a reader.
I don’t even know when the subscription to this magazine runs out but it makes a great mouse pad!
But back to Allure.
I’m beyond happy to see this cover of the wonderful Helen Mirren. Bright red lips (she can rock that red lip without looking harsh. I wish I could), big ass earrings (the ones younger bloggers think we old ladies shouldn’t wear), lines of wisdom on her face and the tattooed arm of a younger man wrapped around her shoulders. This. Is. Greatness.
Encore please!
She doesn’t even have turkey neck! And her tits are great…
Those orbs of wonder have aged so well…
Mirren is bring aging back the way Timberlake brought sexy back!
Yes. Mirren is the hero that we need. But it shouldn’t stop there.
Helen of Troy? Non! Helen of all women over 50!
The average, over 50, over 60 and older women are also the heroes that we need. The woman who is the school teacher, or the military woman, or the police officer or fire fighter, or the flight attendant, or the administrative assistant, or the sales assistant, or the retiree, or the caregiver. These are the women that the beauty and fashion industry have thrown aside and instead reached for the much younger woman.
Take a good look. THESE, the average older women are also the heroes we need!
The beauty industry has abandoned us for the young woman who depends on mommy and daddy to pay for the items she placed on their credit cards. The younger woman whose most important aspect in life is clubbing on a Saturday night. The woman with the fickle mindset.
Just like the spoiled Veruca Salt, many of the targeted demograph are those spoiled young women who have mommy and daddy pay for everything. What happened to independence?
They want the it girl. Not the aging woman.
Beauty and fashion want this….
…and not the 62-year olds like me who are into all beauty products that’ll enhance our features (and not photoshopped or loaded with fillers)
And—it’s too bad because we have the money. We know our minds. When we find a product we love and that works, we are loyal to the product and the brand.
It’s gonna take a while. And in looking through this edition of Allure, I’m digging much of what is inside.
I see more women of color—I really dig that.
Beauty isn’t just blonde, blue, and white. I’m happy about that!
I’m ridiculously happy to see photos such as this as well. Beauty has wrinkles and lines!
I see an ad for a fragrance by Ralph Lauren (not a fan of his but I’m giving him credit). The fragrance is Woman and the model is actor Jessica Chastain. At 40 years old, she is a woman.
Hey Ralphie. Thanks for not using a twenty-something. You’re a good egg for this but you could do better next time.
But next go-round, I would love to see Lauren use the other Lauren in his ads. Lauren Hutton. At 73 years, Hutton personifies aging beauty and should be used more and more by the beauty and fashion industries.
Lauren Hutton. Like fine wine gets better with age. And I LOVE her outspoken personality. She rocks!
Let’s see more of Diane Keaton and Jane Fonda and Lilly Tomlin if you are looking for celebrities.
Diane Keaton. Another oldie but goodie.
And really, let’s see more of the real woman.
Yes. Do it for the real woman who sits at home hoping a two-buck beauty mask will hydrate her skin into mature dewiness!
Ms. Lee, you are on the right track.
I’m giving you a kiss and hug back Michelle Lee–but you need to keep this up. Do. Not. Fail. Us!!
Keep moving forward. Please don’t back-pedal. Be the mover and shaker. Be the Marianne of the beauty industry!
Be the Marianne of the Beauty Industry Michelle! Liberté égalité fraternité in all things beauté !
There is a slew of us women who are watching your moves. Bring back aging in all its glory and beauty.
Do it for me. Do it for you. Do it for the future of all women.
©2017 Atypical60.com
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