Middle-Age Shopping Experiences

My daughter just recently turned twelve and her brother gave her his absence for almost a week going on a mission trip. My husband and I decided to take her on a shopping excersion to Dallas, he would work, we would shop. He even had us staying at a hotel connected to the mall. No driving, just walk thirty feet and shop!

It dawned on me as we traveled around in circles in the mall that malls are no longer catering to me. I'm not twenty-somthing anymore and although the general population is aging along with me, the mall stores are not. When I was twenty-something, I generally shopped at the Gap and the Limited. Those were my two most favorite stores. I could buy my entire wardrobe there, except a few things at Target, gotta remember good old Target! Now, when I visit those stores, very few things reach out to me and yell, 'take me home now!' Could be a couple of things happening because I'm getting to be more forty-something than twenty-something.

First thing that could be happening: My body is not so easily dressed. I'm not saying that is what is happening, just theorizing that because I am older, stuff may be shifting around and it's harder to get just that fit. May be that I'm just more picky about the stuff I put on my body too. Who's to say to a forty-something woman, my moods change so fast sometimes I don't even know myself!

Secondly, I don't need so many clothes because I don't change my style as often as I did twenty years ago. Now that I'm older the trends just don't fascinate me like they used to. Been there, done that, don't feel like doing it again. I know what looks good on me and what doesn't and quite frankly, don't need anyone else to give their opinion thank you very much.

Thirdly, and this kind of goes with the secondly one, I don't like trying on clothes in dressing rooms. Those rooms are like torture chambers for middle aged women who may or may not, I'm just saying, have more cottage cheese on her body than a lo-cal plate down at the diner. The lighting in those rooms for some reason highlight every dimple and wrinkle. If I was running the show, I'd put some of those soft lights that hide stuff, specifically my stuff, that I really don't want to see!

I took my daughter into one of those teenager shops, you know the ones. They look like you're going in a little speciality shop off the street in Florida. First thing, she had to lead me around because apparently they spent so much money on the decor they left no budget on the lighting. I can't see so well in the dark and I kept bumping into the maniquines and saying 'sorry'. She got so embarrassed she lead me back to the dressing room, sat me on a bench and said 'stay'. When she came out wearing new clothes, I couldn't see her until I got out the flashlight I carry in my purse. How am I supposed to buy something I can't see? I asked the sales clerk if I could take her out into the mall to look at the top. Saleslady, who was all of sixteen, didn't think it was too funny. Neither did daughter. Anyway, that is what it should be like in my dressing rooms, especially when trying on swimsuits!