Troy Headrick
The American University in Cairo
Maadi, Cairo, Egypt
contact@savvy-women-magazine.com
This blog is dedicated to Etta Merle Hausenfluck (my grandmother–my “Memaw”) of little Christoval, Texas, a town no one’s ever heard of. Memaw will turn 93 on her next birthday.
I can safely say that she is one of the strongest women–heck, strongest people–I’ve ever known and that I have learned many things while observing her, including how one goes about aging gracefully.
Speaking of aging, have you seen this? If you haven’t, you definitely need to.
The article to be found at the above link explains that scientists have discovered what causes hair to turn gray. I assume this means that at some point in the future we’ll be able to pop a pill or smear on a little ointment, and voilà, our locks, those glorious tresses, will reacquire their normal, youthful color!
Who says that time can’t be made to run in reverse!
Alas, I’ve got gray hair. For me, though, that’s not the most bothersome sign of aging. Hair loss is what really upsets me. Yes, it saddens me to report that the “Male-Pattern Baldness” monster has gotten hold of me (and won’t let go). You can’t really tell from my picture because it’s so small, but a bigger version would show tell-tale signs of thinning in the front.
Why do our bodies seem so determined to humiliate us as we grow older?
But I’m now wondering about women. The Internet is filled with articles (like this one) that discuss how women, especially as they move into their forties and then beyond, develop this great hatred for their bodies. But I am hard pressed to find anything that specifically lists the signs of aging that women most dread. Is it graying hair? Wrinkles? Sagging body parts? Weight gain? All the above? None of the above?
It just occurred to me that when I was growing up there was this craze that lasted for years. All sorts of products were sold to get rid of cellulite. I remember them being advertised on TV and in magazines. The absolute worst flaw a woman could have, it seemed, especially as she got older, was a few dimples on her derrière or the back of her legs.
Now that I’m on the topic of aging, I’m wondering why it is that women seem to age so much more gracefully than men do. Looking at my own family, I’d have to say that in general the womenfolk (Memaw being a prime example) have an easier time accepting the bodily changes that come with getting older. By contrast, my “Pawpaw,” Memaw’s husband, got old and then he got depressed. He spent most of the last few years of his life sitting in his favorite chair and staring off into space.
Is that your experience as well? Do women, in your family, age better than men do, and if so, why?
What secret do women know that men need to learn?
Tags: Aging
