There are lots of expensive treatments and remedies for those who want to lock horns with the aging process and do battle. We think there is an easier way. Here's our list of 10 things that you may be doing that make you look older -- so just avoid them.
1) Wear elastic waist pants.
If you need an elastic waist for comfort, it's probably time to face the music that you likely need to shed a few pounds. Elastic waists are what our grandmas wore. With few exceptions -- we're thinking Hue skinny jeggings here under a big sweater and worn with boots -- elastic waist pants are for oldsters.
2) Use drugstore reading glasses.
There is no shame in admitting you need to wear reading glasses, but do look beyond the Dollar Store. Think of your reading glasses as a fashion accessory, not something that serves as a headband when you look up from the computer to converse. Spend a few bucks and get some stylish frames.
3) Wear wire-rimmed sunglasses.
We hate to be the ones to break this news to you, but John Lennon is dead. When it comes to sunglasses, we say "go big or go home." Big sunglasses also do a wonderful job of covering any crow's feet lines and will make sure you don't get more of them from squinting in the sun.
4) Use eyeglass ropes.
We may all need to wear reading glasses, but why advertise the fact that you also misplace yours so often that you need to tie them to your body? They are not fashionable. They scream "old biddy." Librarians may beg to disagree.
5) Don animal prints only if you mean it.
Animal prints are tricky business. On the right body, they ooze sex appeal; and on the wrong body, they draw double glances and snickers. We prefer to err on the side of caution and leave the leopard and cheetah skins to our pre-teen daughters, unless we are in Las Vegas, where anything short of dressing like Elvis works for us.
6) Own "travel" clothing.
The problem with travel clothing is that it's intended for people who fear wrinkles. The wrinkles they fear happen to be on their clothing, but that's not the point. Travel clothing looks like travel clothing. There are worse things in life than wrinkles. And they are travel clothes.
7) Travel with hard-cover books.
Yeah, we love the printed word as much as the next person. But lugging 10 pounds of books on the plane with you instead of downloading them on a reader just dates you. Electronic readers are easy to use and actually better than a book because you can discreetly adjust the size of the type and don't need to use a boarding pass as a bookmark.
8) Wear a Speedo.
Unless you are Diana Nyad and need to swim with sharks from Cuba, chances are you can find a swimsuit more flattering to your figure. For one, Speedos and any other suit with a shelf bra built in, are meant for women without actual breasts. Speedos are for people who want to swim laps, not lounge poolside with a margarita in their hand. Younger women have figured this out; some older ones, not yet. And older men in Speedos? Don't get us started.
9) Wear comfort shoes.
Oh yes, we feel your pain. Foot pain is what drives otherwise rational American women to wear their Reeboks in Paris. As we age, our feet expand, develop bunions, we get Plantar Fasciitis and a host of other painful foot problems. But old-fart footwear is a dead giveaway to age. Nobody is saying you must torture yourself in a pair of stiletto heels, but more and more brands are offering stylish shoes that are comfortable.
10) Act like a Luddite.
Technology is here to stay, folks, and if you truly don't know how to use it to improve your life, then you are missing out on a lot. Take a course, ask a kid, but move out of the Dark Ages. Truth is, we don't really think you are as much a true Luddite as someone who just thinks it's amusing to pretend you are. (We see you on Facebook, buddy.) But nothing makes you appear "old" the way it does when you say you don't know how to use your smartphone. The TV remote? Now, that's complicated.
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