I’m not afraid to act my age

I WISH someone had told me, on the eve of my 30th birthday, that despite common fears about ageing and being ‘left on the shelf’, getting older feels pretty darn good.

Turning 30 was so positive that I wanted to write about it, so others would not feel the anxiety I did before my birthday.

I wanted to find other women, aged 30, 40, 50, 60 … all the way up to a centenarian, to talk about how great it is to be happy with your age and to allay the fears of women suffering post-birthday angst. With the enthusiasm of a 20-year-old, I looked in my address book, which is bulging with the names of intelligent, successful, fun-loving, cool and charming women (of all ages), who I was sure would openly share their experiences of getting older and wiser. After emailing friends, texting friends of friends, posting on Facebook, and tirelessly calling name after name on my list, my enthusiasm flagged. Usually loquacious women didn’t want to talk about one issue — their age. Some asked hesitantly, ‘Do I have to give my name?’ while some recoiled when I mentioned revealing their age in a national newspaper. Even women who are content and confident in their lives, from the most hardened cynics to the tough-cookie business women, all retreated when asked to stand up and talk about their age.