At a recent fashion show in Madrid, models strutted the catwalk dressed in the latest autumn/winter collection by designer Maria Barros. It would have been like any other fashion show, except for one thing - all the models wore GREY wigs and were made up to look very much older.
I am not sure what the designer had in mind, whether it was to honour older women, or to start a new trend. Whatever the case may be, I am not too sure it had the intended effect. I just feel that this only adds to the perception that old is grey, and grey is old. I would prefer grey is BOLD. That would send a more positive message.
What do you think? Wouldn't it have been better to use older women to model the clothes, and show that women in their 50s or 60s are still beautiful and can carry themselves just as well as younger women? (Click here to view more photos from the Daily Mail.)
A few days ago, TODAY reported that a group of 15 students from the Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore had started a Facebook campaign to 'embrace ageing'. Their aim - to create awareness and promote social inclusion and acceptance of the elderly in Singapore.
They are encouraging people to show their support by either changing their Facebook profile picture to a photo of an elderly person (I wonder whose photo they will choose, and for how long it will remain there) or post on their Facebook status the number of years and days they have before turning 65. (A countdown? Sounds ominous, doesn't it?).
And to mark the first month of the "Embrace Ageing" movement on March 10, supporters are encouraged to wear either grey clothing (urghhh!) or accessories. (Here we go again, grey = old.) The idea of seeing grey everywhere on March 10 is kind of depressing. It's time we stopped these negative associations with the colour grey. A change in mindset is sorely needed.
Their Facebook page has garnered over 700 likes, and close to 1500 people have said they would be wearing grey on March 10. Come that day, Singapore will be a sea of grey.
I applaud these young people for drawing attention to the elderly, and for sending the message that we should all embrace ageing. So they have my support. I will wear grey on March 10. But I will accessorize with something bright and bold to show that senior citizens are like young people. They too love all the colours of the rainbow. But grey is a colour they love least of all.
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