Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Lovely Age

After watching Driving Miss Daisy on a date years ago, I turned to the fellow who had brought me to the movies.  "You know," I said, "Jessica Tandy really is a stunning woman."

"What?" He was horrified. "But - she's old!"

Yeah, I broke up with him not long after that. 

I've been watching sucked into the world of Downton Abbey, and I must say that Maggie Smith looks better than ever. Her cheekbones are elegant, and she still exudes the air of old-world elegance.

Here, in no particular order, are some of the woman who, like Ms Smith and Ms Tandy, are truly gorgeous in spite of - nay, BECAUSE of - their age and experience.

1. Lena Horne: Killer smile.

courtesy Lena-Horne.com

2. Dame Helen Mirren: Simply not fair.

courtesy Huffington Post

3. Carmen Dell'Orifice - Making 80 glamorous

courtesy Huffington Post

4. Queen Elizabeth - Not a "beauty" (never was) but carrying her age splendidly and looking better than ever; in fact, she positively glows. Makes me want to wear hats, even though I probably never will.

courtesy royalgov.uk

5. Random lady I don't know: Love the scarf and the hair. She is beautiful.


6. Diane Keaton, wearing wrinkles with flair: SO much better than a facelift!

courtesy sodahead.com

7. Dame Judi Dench. Again, not classically beautiful, but DAYummmm:


8. I could never pull off the sari, but this lady is rocking it. Plus I love the look in her eyes:



Yo, dude who took me to the movies aeons ago - you are wrong. Age isn't something to fear or cut out with a scalpel, it is an accessory to wear with pride.

7 comments:

Johanna Garth said...

The other thing about beauty is that I think it's something in the soul that shines out through people's eyes. That becomes even more apparent as we age.

Alison DeLuca said...

Yes, exactly! I think the last photo really exemplifies that - the lady is so gorgeous, with that kind look in her eyes.

Connie J Jasperson said...

I LOVE this post!

I'm just sayin'.

Unknown said...

I read a novel a while ago (wish I could remember which one) where an author described a young woman, writing "her face is not finished yet." I have always loved that. This post illustrates wonderful faces on their way to be finished.

Unknown said...

Hi Alison.
Interesting post, especially since I dreamed of high-school last night (I know, how simply pedestrian) and woke up feeling so bloody OLD.
The upside is, if this is a mid-life crisis, I'll live to be ninety-two...
Thanks for the lovely images. Hope I'm still nipping out as a senior like Helen Mirren.
~Dame Just Jill

Sarah Allen said...

Oh my word yes!!! I would add Meryl Streep to this list, although I don't know if she looks any older than my mum :) Fabulous post. Driving Miss Daisy was one of my favorite movies ever.

Sarah Allen
(creative writing blog)

Alison DeLuca said...

Thanks, Sarah! Yes, Meryl definitely deserves to be on this list (along with many others) not only for her sharp-as-a-knife cheekbones but her gorgeous character, which just shines through in every photo and film. Great addition!