Why I started following older women on Instagram

Recently I started noticing fine lines on my forehead and around my eyes. This is not cause for concern—I actually find them quite pretty. Not bold enough to be wrinkles, I call them “crinkles,” and they remind me of the way tissue paper appears more luminescent and beautiful when creased or crinkled in a gift bag than when flat and folded in its original packaging.

Am I starting to get wrinkles?

That being said, my crinkles appeared to be growing more prominent as of late. As a result I found myself thinking a lot about what my skincare philosophy was, and what I would follow into my older age. So far, I have only experimented with lasers (following Jennifer Aniston’s skincare regimen), but I started wondering if I would ever use botox (like Kaitlyn Bristowe), or fillers (like Lori Loughlin). How would I care for my skin as I aged, I wondered.

I still don’t know the answers to these questions (though I will before I start experimenting in earnest—and I will likely write an article about it). What I do know is that shortly after this pondering, I stepped back from the mirror a foot or two to find that my crinkles faded away to nothing. I actually looked quite young when I wasn’t standing so close to myself, I realized. And since most people do not stand within a foot of my face, I probably looked quite young to them too.

This lead me to think less about my philosophy on skincare, and more about my philosophy on aging. Why was I trying to come up with ways to reduce my wrinkles? After all, I’ve long found them beautiful, and I am continuously pinning pictures of older women on Pinterest with long white hair and beautiful translucent skin. Aging is absolutely stunning to me. So why were thoughts about my own face contradicting that?

Or am I just following too many teenagers on Instagram?

Then I realized why. It’s because for some reason I’m following a bunch of twenty-something fashion bloggers on Instagram. They all have beautifully teenaged skin, and as a result of scrolling through their visages on a day-to-day basis, I had subconsciously started thinking my skin should be more like theirs. And worse, that my Instagram photos should look more like theirs. But that doesn’t make sense, I’m 33 years old. And I actually find thirty-somethings beautiful.

So I started following older women on Instagram (and they are totally #lifegoals)

So I decided to start following people my own age on Instagram—you know, people in their thirties—but then I got carried away and started following all of these beautiful women in their forties. And then that led me down a rabbit-hole of all the gorgeous fifty-somethings, then the sixty-somethings—and before I knew it I was following an additional 50+ new women on Instagram ages 30-100. (I also unfollowed a few of the twenty-somethings that weren’t so relatable to my life).

Over the next few weeks I continued to refine my followings. I unfollowed those I didn’t relate to, and started following similar accounts to those I loved. It wasn’t long before I was daydreaming about the shock white hair I would have when I was ninety, and the beautiful fashion I would wear when I hosted prominent parties as a wealthy philanthropist in my eighties. Because I don’t know if you know this, but there are legitimate fashion bloggers that are in their nineties. And they are s t u n n i n g. And they host f a b u l o u s parties. Talk about #lifegoals.

Just as twenty-something bloggers take pictures of their #ootd, these elder women have all the style and grace of their younger counterparts but with something the younger set are missing: class, and leisure. They photograph themselves aboard luxury yachts, and drinking intensely vintaged wines. They photograph the glamorous parties they host at their New York City brownstones, and the fundraisers they host for prominent D.C. politicians. And the more I began to follow the leisurely lives of the elderly, I more I realized my plan had worked.

I no longer wanted the innie belly buttons of the Gigi Hadids of the world, or the seamless selfies of the Kendall Jenners of the world. I wanted the sophisticated suit from Yves Saint Laurent, and to host the prettiest patio party you ever did see. In the process, the short-lived thing I had about my little wrinkles completely went away. I didn’t want to look flawless, I wanted to live a fabulous life. Just like the older women I started following on Instagram.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Carmen Dell’orefice

Carmen has been a fashion model since she first graced the cover of Vogue magazine at fifteen years old. Now she’s 85 and her life motto is to enjoy herself, at no one else’s expense.

Maye Musk

Maye is a 69-year old model and dietitian and the mother of famed entrepreneur Elon Musk (the founder of Tesla and Space-X, and the co-founder of PayPal). And she’s absolutely stunning.

 

Isabella Rossellini

The famous Italian model & actress is now 64 years old and spends her spare time farming—and she’s just as stunning as ever.

   

Tamera Beardsley

Tamera Beardsley is a 55-year old fashion blogger and she has a thing for floor-length fur coats and diamond encrusted tiaras—but really anything fabulous will do.

 

And here are a few more:

As I mentioned, I started following more than 50 women ages 30 and over. That’s a lot. Here’s a few more that you might love. Click on their photos to follow them on Instagram.

I am inspired by all of these women on a daily basis, but I would love to know: who are your favorite older women to follow on Instagram?