VERY YOUNG AND NOW — FORGET IN-BETWEEN
Linda Kelsey, now 69
The sweetest spot for me, as far as body satisfaction is concerned, was aged 14, a time when I barely gave a thought to my image. having neither a belly nor boobs to speak of, I was free of those troublesome pre-occupations.
Then, adolescent angst and self-consciousness came knocking and suddenly I urgently needed longer legs, a smaller waist and a C rather than A cup.
Those nagging dissatisfactions hung around for decades, from my late teens through to my 50s, and I couldn’t help scrutinising my faults and envying others’ seeming advantages.
Then a curious thing kicked in. After the end of my marriage and starting a new relationship around the age of 57, I began to feel increasingly body confident, boosted as I was by the appreciation of my new partner. I also started to exercise more, striding out on long, daily walks, using a cross-trainer and taking up Pilates.
So by the time I reached 60, I realised that even as my skin thinned and my wrinkles multiplied, I felt more comfortable in my skin than when it had been superfirm. And once again I felt the liberation I’d last experienced in my early teens.
Now I’m pushing 70 and that more positive feeling lingers on, though only just. That’s not to say I don’t notice the sagging bits and the blobby bits; more that I don’t care in the way I used to.
The other day, as I walked away from the breakfast table, dressed in skinny jeans, a sleeveless vest and trainers, ready for my daily constitutional, my partner called after me: ‘You do look young from behind.’
I resisted the temptation to ask: ‘Yes, but what about from the front?’ and left the house with a smile on my face.