Sunday 30 November 2014

"The Body"

I recently found this photo of Elle Macpherson on her 50th birthday.

Elle Macpherson is a well known supermodel and in this photo, she is stunning, gorgeous, lean, with lovely long hair in a bikini on a yacht at fifty years old.

FIFTY! 

She is an absolute knockout and at an inspirational age.

So I printed the photo out from online and stuck it on my fridge.  I have X number of years to get myself into that kind of shape, I told myself.  If she can do it?  I can do it!  Hurrah!

And I walk past that photo of the terrifically fit and gorgeous 50 year old Ms Macpherson every day...

And it wasn't until the other day that I had a sort of a realization.

Elle Macpherson was born with genes that I was not.  Tall, thin genes.  I didn't get those.

Elle Macpherson has a body shape that I will never have.  Unless, of course, I get massive amounts of plastic surgery and have bones shaved and leg bones stretched and all sorts of things that are actually done in our world but I will never naturally be any taller or less shapely.  I gots curves. 

Yes, I could absolutely be strong and as lean as possible when I'm fifty.  I could be toned and fit and healthy and that is a goal I can certainly reach towards.  But that body?  I'm never going to have.

So I may keep the photo on my fridge a while longer because man, it's great to see you can be what we used to think of as "old" and still look like a gazillion dollars.  But instead of me wanting to look like her, I want to look as healthy as her and I have a good number of years to get there.

I also know that time tends to fly, and that it's easier to gain weight and to lose tone and fitness than it is to get fitter, and I know that Elle Macpherson probably has financial resources to help her that I probably can't afford right now but it's clear she takes care of herself and her body and I can do the same.

Maybe some day, someone will be looking at a photo of me in a bikini somewhere going Wow, Victoria looked like that when she was X years old?  I can do that too!

2 comments:

Elliott said...

You have a very good attitude about body image. I don't have supermodel genes either. But what I can control is fitness and I'm starting to work harder on being fit...cuz it's more work when you're in your mid-40s.

Still need to chase those 20somethings around the hockey rink...and I still can and I can still give them a decent game when I play goalie. Which makes me happy.

And I'm sure there are lots of people who already say that you look fab in a bikini...you just don't like to listen. :o)

Victoria said...

Somehow I feel like it should get easier to be fit the older you get! Unfair!