“Older Ladies” by Donnalou Stevens on YouTube is a toe-tapping, hand-clapping, and full-throated country tune embracing our greying hair, wrinkling skin, sagging boobies, and overall juicy awesomeness. It’s our anthem to embrace ourselves as we age despite all the messy myths, fallacies, and lies that permeate American society, politics, and culture.
Personally, I’ve had enough of this obsession with youth.
- I’m sexy enough. I don’t need a lacey little bra (a waste of money because it the first to go when that moment comes!). But I do want a sports bra that doesn’t dig, poke, scratch, restrict, or require a wrestling match to get the damn thing on or off.
- I’m good enough. I don’t need a performance review to tell me how good I am at my job or the value of my work. What I wanted was acknowledgement for how the work I did helped the company or client reach goals.
- I am enough. Like millions of other American women, I’ve struggled with this pretty much my entire life. I’m capable now. What I don’t know I can learn. What I can’t do, I can figure it out.
Older Ladies are Divine
Later in Donnalou’s song, you’ll hear the troupe sing, “Older ladies, older ladies, older ladies… are DIVINE!”
THAT IS SO FREAKIN’ TRUE!
And we Divas, I think, are pretty divine, too.
- We strive to be our best selves, not to be perfect.
- We take the time for health and fitness…even if it’s only for a few minutes.
- We choose a goal or objective ourselves. Then do what we can, knowing and accepting that interruptions, distractions, disappointments, and weird, out-of-the-blue things can happen.
- We keep moving ahead, even if all we can do in the moment is take a breath.
- We understand that “getting side tracked” or “taking three steps back” are just steps in this dance called Life
Watch Donnalou’s fabulous “Older Ladies” video on YouTube and sing along (the lyrics are in the video’s description).
Don’t be surprised if you start dancing. Tap your Inner Self to dance with you!
Originally posted June 30, 2014 | Revised and republished Aug. 28, 2023