You Look Good...For Your Age

When did that start? I remember the times someone would say, Hey, you look good. Maybe at a wedding, after a long time no see, whatever. Whether you were once a beauty or not, you've all heard it. You look good. So when did the tag-on...for your age...begin? Forties? Fifties? Sixties? And beyond? And why is it on the one hand I take it as a compliment when I get the tag-on, and other times it leaves me feeling annoyed? Are we only supposed to look good when we're young and then when we get older we need the tag on because older people aren't supposed to look good anymore?


Men get the tag on, too, but I'm willing to bet not as often as women. I hear women and other men tell my husband, "you look good". It might be because he's lost some weight, is wearing a nice sweater, has a bit of color from the sun, whatever. But I can't tell you how many times I get the "You look good...for your age."  I get it from people my age but I especially get it from younger people. Do they think as you get older you can't just look good? And does it put an added pressure on us older women? I mean, what if we stop hearing we look good for our age? So then what? We look our age? We look lousy for our age?

Is this a no-win situation?

Or should I just take the compliment, however it's handed to me? Should I use this compliment as added impetus to do my best to look good? I don't know. I'm not really sure what looking good for my age actually means.

But I admit I'll probably get depressed when I stop hearing it. Vanity, ah vanity.