I was looking at a magazine on Saturday when I came across two articles that touched upon the concept of change. The first one featured a new line of greeting cards for midlife women called Naughty Betty. Anything naughty always piques my curiosity, so I kept on reading. It’s a line started by a Creative Director at Ogilvy and Mather Advertising along with a writer colleague. It talks about midlife concepts, not as a crisis but rather, as an opportunity. And how it talks about it ever so boldly. In a very irreverent, and unapologetic way, it restates it as a very positive event. There is no cowering here whatsoever.
It’s very liberating for me to see women who attach no disclaimers to what and who they are, no matter how imperfect. No careful retouching of words, sugar-coating of reality and fudging of the date of birth.
A few more pages after, I saw another article. An article on a nationwide model search. More specifically, a “40-year old and above Model Search”. I immediately thought about my mom, my first muse.
Let me tell you a little bit about my mom. Growing up in a house full of mirrors, watching my mom strut, I pretty much knew that she was a frustrated celebrity. She is a supermodel in her own world, always properly dressed and accessorized, arriving fashionably late. She always carried herself as if she was walking on a stage. She was a housewife for the longest time and before that a nutritionist. My grandparents wanted her to be in the medical field to have a solid full time job, and so offers of showbusiness were skipped. While I know she is pretty content, I also know that she always felt that she missed out on her true calling. In other words, her passion was still waiting. And here's her chance for rebirth.
If I could give someone another stab at pursuing his or her life’s passion, I'd give them a ticket to Hollywood. If I could spread the word that for as long as you’re alive you’re vital, and you should aim for the stars, I’d wrap it in a box and ship it. If I could provide for my mom, the same chances towards her dreams as she has given me, I’d fill out a form and send in an 8x10 glossy. And so I did.
