Shoulder Pad Tank 501 Jeans Spring Fashion 2023

The Scoop

I first noticed the shoulder pad tee shirts last summer. They may have started showing up sooner but I really remember them last year. I thought they looked so cute on the people wearing them but didn’t think I would like them on myself. So, I kind of admired from afar.

I was getting to a point where I thought my arms looked old and stuck out when I left them bare. But recently I have been seeing women my age, say the heck with it. It is hot and I am going to go sleeveless.

That got me to thinking, why do I feel uncomfortable in my own skin? It comes from a life time of hearing women criticize their bodies all the time. A lifetime of hearing how to cover up or camouflage or hide any signs of aging. For so long women wouldn’t even tell their age. Just the other day I heard a famous attorney on TV say jokingly she would not divulge her age. She is a successful woman still living in a world of constant negativity and is trapped in thoughts of shame like so many of us.

We must, for the sake of our grandchildren and all the generations to come, stop criticizing ourselves. Not a day goes by that I don’t make a joke about my flaws. It’s ingrained in my deepest cells. I never want my granddaughter to feel ashamed of her intelligence, looks or successes. I never want to see my grandson’s face when I run myself down. I make an effort to speak kindly of myself around them. And I am trying to carry it out throughout my life even when sometimes it is just in my head. But it is a work in progress.

My arms are the arms of women my age and there is nothing shameful or unattractive about them. So here I am in a sleeveless top and I’m good with it.