Since turning 40 (five years ago) not only has my style changed, but I now play dress-up a lot more than ever before. I’ve become much more experimental too. I think that comes with confidence, which comes with age. And I no longer shy away from the camera—I actually love having my photo taken. I’m like a child again, playing dress-up. And why the hell not? What’s wrong with playing dress-up at 45? Absolutely freaking nothing. That’s what.
Let’s rewind
Let’s go back to when we were really little. Can you remember that far? I can (well…just about). Okay, so I can’t actually remember the individual moments, but I can recall the feelings I had when I would put on my mum’s heels or try on her lipstick. It was a feeling of pure pleasure, right? Now fast forward, forty-odd years…why can’t we recreate those feelings, or at least try to?
It’s often the simple things in life that give us joy. It’s being around our loved ones, being in nature, watching the birds drink water from the puddles in the back garden, that first cup of Nespresso in the morning, relaxing in a hot bath at the end of a long day with a glass of wine, and, particularly for me, going shopping and playing dress-up.
I really miss shopping—and I don’t give a shit if you think that’s shallow. I miss hanging out with friends in the local shopping centre and then going out for dinner all dolled up. So, occasionally, I’ll get all dolled up just because I can. Do you remember at the beginning of the first lockdown when celebs were getting all dolled up just to put the bins out? I say, let’s do that again! A particular celeb I recall doing just that was Amanda Holden in the most fabulous frock. Do you remember? Let me see if I can find her Insta pic…
Didn’t she look gorgeous? I bet she had such fun and lots of giggles playing dress up for that photo. And why not? Why shouldn’t we enjoy yourselves? Because we’re grown-ups? Girl…please! We’re still little girls in grown-up bodies, that’s all! I say, have some freaking fun for a change! The world is so fucked up at the moment, right? We need to play!
##playingdressup2021
So I challenge you to do something you wouldn’t normally do. Put on your glad rags, go out into your garden and take some photos to cheer yourself up! We all deserve a bit of laughter in our lives. That’s one reason I love my *Fab40s gals so much. We have such fun playing dress-up once a month. But I need more. I need to play dress-up more often. And I’m going to. And this is where I’m going to post the pics, whether they’re beautiful or a complete embarrassment, I promise to share lol. The question is, will you? If you do, let’s use the hashtag #playingdressup2021
Here are some of my own favourite photos since I first joined the *Fab40s group a couple of years ago…
Playing dress-up
* If you’re wondering what the heck the Fab40s are, we’re a small group of bloggers around the world who blog on a particular theme once a month. The next one will be on Monday 25th.
WHERE I SOMETIMES LINK UP
Chic & Stylish (Mumma B Stylish)
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