Oh Shut Up – a note to naysayers

“I hate this.”
Last week a, friend and fine thinker posted an article with the above terse comment. He’s the kind of man who doesn’t hate much. He revels in beauty, thinks expansively, and explores life vividly. Of course, I clicked. I had to see what had raised his hackles.

It was basically a list. A “mean girl” list. A litany of things women beyond a certain age (that age being 30) shouldn’t wear. No hoop earrings, no blue eye shadow, no leopard print. Blah blah blah. I blew a raspberry at it. “Pfft! Don’t you tell me what I can’t do!” 

A lifetime leopard-print devotee,
this was the giddy day I got my first DVF wrap dress.
At age 48. Thank you very much.

“Confidence. If you have it, you can make anything look good.”
~ Diane von Furstenberg

I took a page out of the DVF playbook years ago. Queen of Confidence, Diane von Furstenberg is a favorite Inspiration Crush, ceaselessly celebrating women where they stand, at every moment of their lives. Her mantra? Be the woman you want to be.

40 years into celebrating women with the wrap dress,
DVF is still going strong!
Click the photo for her uplifting new book,
The Woman I Wanted to Be.

This morning, in the spirit of journalistic thoroughness, I scrolled through a few Naysayers’ blog catalogues. I gotta hand it to ‘em, the Naysayers certainly are prolific. “You’ll absolutely fail at your New Year resolution.” “Your selfies are bad and your status updates stupid.” “You’re not as hot as that megastar and your friends secretly hate your celebratory win.” Blah blah blah. Stacks of impossible this is how to be perfect measured against humiliating look how you hopelessly struggle.  A nauseating teeter-totter of scathing criticisms and irrefutable absolutes. I blew a raspberry at it.

With all due respect, Naysayers, take a break. Go outside and have a nice walk. Breathe some fresh air. Do something nice for yourself and for us too. Shut up.