"Time Doth Flit; Oh Shit."

Dorothy Parker had a way with words didn't she?  Ever known for her lack of vanity, even she felt anxiety about getting older.

Today there seem to be two camps of women.  Those who fiercely pursue the bottle of youth and those who have given up entirely.  The media has projected a standard that is seemingly impossible and quite frankly monstrous.  Your choice seems to be freakishly, perfectly fake or completely old and out of shape before your time. 

Where does self respect land here?  Neither extremes reflect self love on any level.

How can anyone keep up frankly with what has become the standard?  Bravo's Housewives series is filled to the brim with freakishly gorgeous women who do not appear to have the time or energy left for self reflection.  What they do have is a seemingly endless sources of funds for lip injections, botox, boob jobs, makeup artists, and hair stylists.

What normal person struggling in this economy can relate to this?  Your average woman is typically caught in the classic lady trap of putting all of her energy into her loved ones and forgetting about herself.  Who can even begin to attempt to put the time and money into looking anything like these women?  It's impossible, so why bother?  

We don't have to embrace these cliches and extremes.  A healthy dose of daily self respect will result in you looking great at any age.  Letting go of perfection is the key, not letting go entirely.  But how does one do that in this environment?

Would Dorothy Parker have succumbed?  Frankly, I think she did.  She ended up embracing her role as the unattractive wise cracker.  

I don't blame her for that.  Her wit is unsurpassed.  But she was a beauty whether anyone, most importantly she, gave herself credit for it.

The point here is that we don't have to fall into the trap of yet another pigeon hole.  Other people may want to do it but we most certainly do not have to do it to ourselves.  You can be attractive and witty at the same time.  You can take care of yourself and be reasonably youthful and attractive without succumbing to the extreme pressures of looking like a reality TV star who is anything but real.

We don't have to pick sides.

"Years are only garments, and you either wear them with style all your life, or else you go dowdy to the grave." Dorothy Parker