Preface
Recently, I hung out with some friends for our friend's birthday. A couple of the girls were saying things like, "Ugh, I wish I was 21 already". What I don't understand is why we always want to be younger or older and are never happy with our actual age. Why can't we just enjoy each new age we are in? When we are older, we want to be younger and when we are younger we want to be grown up. We always want what we can't have. Each new age brings a different kind of responsibility and beauty. Through my new series, “Aging Beautifully,” I will showcase the beauty and wisdom in every age. I will be interviewing several women of different age groups for some perspective and advice on life, fashion, and beauty.
To start to start the series off, I’m interviewing my mom, age 50.
This Week’s Quote: “I’m baffled that anyone might not think women can get more beautiful as they get older. Confidence comes with age, and looking beautiful comes from the confidence someone has in themselves.”
-Kate Winslet
What is your first name, job title, and what decade are you representing (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s or 60s)?
Laura Escobar: aka my mom
Occupation: CRM Database Manager
Decade: The 50s
What is something that you are most proud of?
“I’m most proud of my family.” Raising a family, while growing your career is difficult. Even though raising a family and working is hard to do she explains that, “It is well worth it and satisfying.” Raising a family is not easy and I know my mom always gives 110% to everything she does. As an observer, I have seen first hand how hard my mom works at her job. Working in today's world jobs are no longer just 9-5. Jobs today are around the clock, especially in the social media age. This makes it more difficult to raise a family and building a career.
What is one word you feel best describes you?
Confident:
“The best thing about getting older is that you get to let go of things like what people think about you. You learn how to trust your own instincts and intelligence. You do not need to ask permission anymore.” Confidence is something that grows as you age, it is not something that happens immediately. Confidence takes time, and is a process. Sometimes, we even can lose our the confidence we fought so hard for.
Thoughts on Aging?
Before I dive into my mom's answer to this question. I wanted to spend time on this question because my whole focus for this series is on embracing our age, beauty, and wisdom. I wanted to hear my mom’s perspective on aging. I also wanted to mention some powerful women that are truly killing it and embracing their age. For example, women like Meryl Streep, Betty White, Helen Mirren, Oprah, Lesley Stahl, Sheryl Sandberg, and Anna Wintour. All these women are strong, powerful, influential, and smart. They also are able to embrace their age and everything that comes with aging.
My Mom’s answer:
“Society has changed a little bit in the past few generations on aging women. Back in my grandmother’s day, women in their 30s refused to tell you how old they were because there was a sense of shame associated with aging. I think that now women in my generation are more empowered because we are educated. Things have changed in other ways socially because women are not put in a corner anymore and dressed in ugly outfits. Fashion has changed to accommodate us because I think companies are smart enough to know women of my generation have money, influence and know what we want. We have careers and are much more powerful than the women who have come up before us. We still have a long way to go. As women, we should not feel ashamed of getting older. Every stage in our lives is precious and should be honored. We should never diminish where we are and where we are going. Every women, no matter what her age, is beautiful. True beauty is what is on the inside. You can have wrinkles and gray hair, but a woman who walks into a room with confidence and feels good about herself, that is what true beauty is.”
What is your go to skincare advice?
“The best advice I can give on skincare is sunscreen on your entire body. Be careful which sunscreen you use. U.S. brands tend to have way too many harmful chemicals. I use a European brand.” My mom had some skin cancer removed from her leg when she was in her 40s. Since then, she has tried to protect her skin from further damage of the sun. The sun is a tricky little devil because not getting enough sun is not good, however, getting too much sun is not good either. So, moral of the story, always wear good sunscreen!
Fashion advice?
“Keep it simple. When starting off in the workforce, you need to start off with the basic essentials. Do not buy cheap essentials. No big or loud patterns. Buy the basics and then accessorize. When starting at a new job, dress more conservatively. Make sure everything fits properly.”
Most important fashion advice in the workforce:
“Dress for the job you want, not the job you currently have.”
Keeping it simple is key, especially when you are starting out in the workforce for the first time out of college and want to be taken seriously.
What is the most essential piece of clothing you own?
“A black dress that I can wear for many occasions and will never go out of style. This dress can look different for each occasion, depending on how you accessorize.” Everyone should have a black dress in their closet. It is an essential. It is a basic piece that can be worn for years, as opposed to trendy pieces that can only be worn for about a year before it goes out of style. Best advice: not short, not low cut, and no high slits.
How has your fashion and skincare changed over the years?
“As I approached 50, I made some pretty drastic changes for myself. I would say my fashion idol is Claire Underwood, from the show House of Cards. I got rid of all my shorts and t-shirts with logos. I wear dresses and skirts with basic t-shirts. As you age, I feel it is better to be simple and classy.” Everyone should embrace each age. Our fashion style should represent our age and new changes in our lives. We should not look down at our ages, we need to embrace them. My mom has and she made fashion changes to embrace her new decade.
Why do you think it is important to reflect on our past?
“You do not know where you are going until you figure out where you came from. You get smarter with each stage of life and experience, so it is important to reflect what you have done.” I agree with my mom, reflecting on our past is important so we can have a better future. I like to reflect on my past as well. It allows me to become a better version of myself.
What is one thing you would tell your younger self?
“Self-doubt is normal and part of life, but it is all going to be okay. Do not be afraid to take risks. You will regret things in life, if you always play things in life safe.” We have to take risks in order to have the life we want. Staying in your comfort zone does not allow for personal growth.
What are some examples of life advice you would give to young women just starting out?
“I’m 50 and I’m still making mistakes. It is part of being a human being. We need to rethink the definition of failure. Failure should not be seen as a negative. Everything is a learning experience and there’s no bad experience.”
Anything else?
“Be kind to yourself. Everything is about a growing experience. Take care of yourself, physically, mentally, and financially.”
Always take care of yourself. Your health is so important. Do not overwork yourself. We all need breaks. My mom exercises every day and says it helps her cope on stressful days. Also, my mom advises not to overspend. Don’t get into credit card debt early on. It’s so hard to get out.
I hope you enjoyed the first segment of my new series. Stay tuned to hear from other inspiring women. I also wanted to say thank you to my mom for letting me interview her.
-Forever Always,
Emily
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