 |
Granny's Makeup Bag
Photo by Jenee Darden |
Look what I found on my grandmother’s bathroom counter. I
have three grandmothers, two biological (of course) and one through marriage. I
won’t put the owner of this makeup bag on blast and say which grandma owns this
bag. Honestly, all three of them bring their on spice to life. Any one of them
could be the owner.
I discovered the “Sexy” bag on my grandma’s bathroom counter
during an after-church Sunday visit. I playfully asked my grandma who was the
owner of the makeup bag. I knew it was hers since she’s the only woman in the
house. She was kind of coy and acted like she didn’t know what I was talking
about. Then she told me she bought it because of the color, not the word on the
bag. I challenged her on that excuse. She raised her voice and said, “I bought
it three years ago!” When she bought the bag is totally irrelevant but I guess
that was her best defense. LOL
Honestly, I thought it was cool she owned the bag. And I
loved it even more that she had the bag out after returning from church. Knowing
that my 70-something year old grandmother had this velvety-textured cosmetic
bag with the word “Sexy” blinged out across it made me appreciate her as a
woman even more. I guess no matter
how old a woman may be, she still wants to feel sexy. She still wants to look pretty
and feel desired. And my grandmother
deserves to feel that way, just as her granddaughter.
In case you didn’t know (or don’t want to know) some seniors
are sexually active. A
Psychology Today article says people over 50 is the group with the fastest growing rates
of STDs. And they’re the largest consumers of vibrators. Yes kids, Granny and
Papa are still getting their freak on.
Discovering my grandmother’s “Sexy” makeup bag gives me hope
that once I become seasoned in age, I’ll still have some spice. But I wonder,
when you are an older woman, does feeling sexy become harder because it’s
equated with youth? Or is it just like any woman who does not resemble Malibu
Beach Barbie; you define your own beauty?
I’m going to take a detour. Have you seen the
“Mirror” series by photographer Tom Hussey? It’s really amazing. They’re photos of
elderly people looking in the mirror, but the reflection they see of themselves
is from their youth. I read the people in the photos are models. I read it’s going to be used for an
Alzheimer medicine ad. But mental health aside, I’ve talked to seniors and some
have told me they don’t feel their age. I don’t feel like I’m 30-something-something.
I love the maturity and understanding that comes with being 30. And when I look
in the mirror, I don’t see a 30-ish-year-old woman. I have another grandma who
told me she doesn’t feel 70-ish in her mind. But her body reminds her. This is
the same grandma who wanted to try Cristal because she saw Jay-Z rapping about
it on BET. Why she was watching
Jay-Z and BET, I don’t know.
I think of women like THE Elizabeth Taylor and the amazing
Eartha Kitt, two women who kept it glam even in their golden years. Elizabeth
Taylor had a younger, black boyfriend when she died. Remember when Eartha tried to seduce Eddie Murphy in
Boomerang? These two women did not stop in their lives. And what about Tina
Turner?!. She still turns heads at 73 and is marrying her younger partner after
dating for 27 years.
These women make me wonder. Maybe your sexiness evolves as
you age, but remains everlasting as long as you still see it in yourself.
Comments
Post a Comment