Throughout our lives, us women are encouraged to dress to enhance the body parts that society has deemed our best, sexiest and most appealing. Cinch that waist! Show off those pins! If you’ve got it - ‘it’ being whatever beauty standard is deemed most worthy at the time - flaunt it!
… until, of course, we’re not. In midlife and beyond, we’re supposed to be invisible - or at least, that’s what some HELLO! readers think when it comes to Lauren Sanchez Bezos, who stepped out in Paris over the weekend in a figure-hugging vintage Dior powder blue crochet dress.
Take Marlis, who commented on the pics of Lauren:
She is too old and needs to cover up her body. I really don’t think anyone wants to see her in outfits that would look good on a younger person. She sure likes attention even if its negative.
Eek. Of course, Lauren’s trademark ultra-glam look isn’t for everyone, but as a former red carpet reporter and news anchor, being ultra-glam - and attracting attention and, indeed, billionaires - is her whole thing. At 56, she’s got an amazing body for a woman of any age, along with all the money and connections in the world to slip it into whatever vintage Dior she fancies - so why wouldn’t she?
© Getty Images for The Met Museum/As someone who’s often dressed to show off their curves too, albeit slightly less well-sculpted ones than Lauren boasts, I have a tiny bit of sympathy. If you’ve got boobs and a bum and you step out in a high-neck top with lots of coverage, or a flouncy floral dress, people think you look frumpy or the dreaded 'mumsy' (I'm a mum but do I want that to be my defining visual characteristic? Absolutely not!).
But if you wear something figure-hugging - always more flattering if your body is quite 3D - people think you’re attention-seeking. And as you get older, it starts to become trickier - at 45, my necklines have risen a little higher in recent years, but I still know what best suits my hourglass shape; just like Lauren whose bodycon is basically a second skin at this point.
The fact is, if a more willowy 50-something celebrity wore a dress like this, the world wouldn’t bat an eyelid. But when someone like Lauren, with her eye-popping curves and very extra aesthetic, goes for it, they are judged. As ever, women can’t win - and it’s often other women bringing us down.
We're not sure Lauren gives a damn either way - but while she struts around Paris, blissfully oblivious to the debate around her body and style, the rest of us absorb the judgment she attracts. Ultimately, when women criticise other women's bodies, it can chip away at our own body image and confidence, which we all know can already take a beating in midlife. So shouldn't Lauren be allowed to wear whatever the hell she wants, without being told she should 'cover up' and stop being an attention seeker?
Maybe you disagree - tell us below! Should Lauren dress more “age appropriately” or is it a case of “if you’ve got it - especially if you might have paid for it - flaunt it!”?
If you are on a non-HELLO! platform, click here to vote in our Lauren Sanchez poll.
