She had everyone's attention in an instant.
"Oh my gosh!" My sister yelled out from the other room. "Check out Dolly Parton!"
Dolly performed during the halftime show at the Thanksgiving game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders. It was one
of those moments when you just didn't know where to look. I felt weird
looking up top and then I felt weird looking down below. My eyes were blinded by sequins, glitter and skin.
I remember seeing those iconic Dallas Cowboy cheerleaders when I was a kid. They were up there on
the list of things I wanted to be when I grew up: Wonder Woman, Solid
Gold Dancer and Dallas Cowboy cheerleader. (Of course, that was
pre-Catholic school. By the mid 80's my sights turned to nun, Laura Ingalls, and Debbie Gibson. More clothes, less dancing.)
The
average age of the most famous cheerleaders in the world is 25 but
women can audition when they are 18 years of age. The oldest lady to put
on the two-piece blue and white outfit was 37... not 77.
My mom was not a fan. Only a few years younger than Dolly, my
mom could also rock that little two-piece outfit with the modifications
Ms. Parton added. She wore a glittery leotard and hosiery that
eliminated any bare skin being displayed. I am not sure she could have
pulled this outfit choice off without those but maybe she could have?
With that being said, what we saw is what Dolly has "touched up
and tweaked" over the years. She is open about her plastic surgeries and
use of Botox and Juvederm.
Here is the issue on my
part. Dolly looked good. She really did. You could disagree with her
choice, but she didn't embarrass herself in front of millions of people
who were in a tryptophan comma after their turkey meal. But the debate
at my parents' house was passionate and was an eye opener for my
19-year-old daughter. She sat in disbelief wondering why all the women
in her life were so negative about Parton's outfit choice.
She and I talked about it the next day and I explained to her my
point of view. It is not that I am against a 77-year-old dressing sexy,
but knowing what I know about Dolly, it says to me, "If you have
millions of dollars to spend on
plastic surgery, you can look like this too." As I am approaching age
50, it is harder to find women in the public eye to relate to. I find it
hard to believe chemicals and surgery are the only way to look fabulous at 50, 60 or even 70.
I see the AARP magazines in my
parents' house and there is no way these people look that good.
Photoshop is amazing but it is used selectively. I compared two recent
covers, one
with "The Fonz" Henry Winkler (age 78) and the other with Diane Keaton
(age 77). Henry looks his age. You can see the visible wisdom wrinkles on his face and his natural white hair. Diane on the other hand, her photo appears to be lightened to not draw attention to the wrinkles on her face and she is wearing a hat to cover up the wrinkles on her forehead. "Eh, where's Fonzie's hat?"
As a parent, I want things to be different for my
daughter. She is already way more liberated than I was at her age, and I
love her attitude about style and fashion, but she has pushed my
limits as a conservative parent, especially last year when she bought a
pair of black leather pants for her high school homecoming festivities.
The Catholic girl in me was hyperventilating when my own personal Sandy from Grease arrived for the parade. (To be clear, her pants weren't skintight, and she had a sweater on instead of an off the shoulder low cut top.)
I was raised by Boomer parents. My daughter had hip Gen X'ers showing her the way. But these Boomers have turned the tables on aging and what we have come to expect. My parents look much younger than my grandparents did at the same age, and maybe I should adopt their playbook in aging gracefully and naturally.
The debate on ageism will continue but if somewhere there is a Solid Gold reboot in the works, I am not ruling out auditioning. Maybe Dolly can give me some advice. Anyone have her number?
*My blog is featured in The Valley Mirror Newspaper's On My Mind column. The Valley Mirror is a weekly publication which covers the Steel Valley and Woodland Hills communities. *
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| *Photo courtesy of People Magazine |
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