My hair is about the longest it has ever been in my entire life. I am still not used to it. It gets stuck in the car window or door, I never know how to pin it up in cute styles that I see other people with long hair do with ease. I suppose I am still a short haired person inside.

My mom and my aunt have this belief that once a woman turns 40 she should have short hair only. My mom often comments how how long my hair is getting. It's not ever complimentary. But I don't care. I am "of a certain age" and I have long hair. It is often frizzy and has a few split ends, but I'm having fun with it. I put it in braids or toss my head and fling it around. Occasionally one of my daughters will sit behind me and give me different hairstyles. I am loving this long hair of mine and I intend to keep it this way for a while.

I read a blog post written by a woman about my age. She had decided that she was too old to wear jeans with holes in them. I have a pair of jeans with holes in them, I think they're cute. I never thought about being "too old" to wear them. I think it's sad that this woman believes she has to be younger in order to wear a particular pair of pants. As women, we are so often judged for our appearance. So many rules about what looks good and what doesn't. What's proper and what isn't. Wouldn't it be nice if we just styled ourselves in whatever felt comfortable and made us feel happy with ourselves? If we dressed for our own approval and not for our partners, or mothers, or what some fashion guru says. How would that feel?

I look at this picture of myself and I think,

"Swing that long hair, Jane. Enjoy yourself. Have some fun for once. Just for you."

How does that feel? It feels pretty damn good.