The Oscar season has officially begun, so the movie biz is even hotter news than usual for the next month as the countdown commences to the big night. That means just about any angle will be explored to get a showbiz story, however tenuous the connection. This year, as a number of the nominees are either approaching or well past pensionable age, it’s no surprise that we’ve seen the emergence of a survey nominating the top five sexiest older women and men. What’s truly remarkable about the list is not just that the vast majority of the winning actors are in their sixties and seventies, still going strong and producing some of their best work, but that – in a youth-obsessed culture – these vibrant, intelligent people are being recognised for their enduring charisma.
Topping the women’s list is Helen Mirren, who’s still considered sexy, despite having most recently portrayed the Queen – not exactly a red hot mama! The other acclaimed women of a certain age are Sophia Loren, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench and Diane Keaton. Leading the field for the men is the perennial bad boy Jack Nicholson, with stiff competition from Sean Connery, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and Danny Glover.
It’s encouraging to see a wider context for sexiness than the pursuit of eternal youth. There’s a distinctly low incidence of Botox or super-stretched facelifts in this crowd, although Robert Redford did go in for a bit of ill-advised surgery a few years ago. On the whole, what makes these people sexy is their degree of comfort with themselves, a zest for life and a willingness to continue to stretch themselves creatively. That this list exists at all is a testament to all those who have not only refused to fade away in an industry that values youth above all, but who keep finding new ways to reinvent themselves.
At 76, Clint Eastwood is Oscar-nominated again this year for both direction and best film for Letters From Iwo Jima, a controversial take on the WW2 battle, as seen from the Japanese point of view. Only a couple of years ago he not only directed and appeared in Million Dollar Baby, but also made it his first foray into composing the film score as well.
That’s the joy of a creative career – if you have the inspiration, you get to do what you enjoy for as long as you desire and still get to push the envelope. It’s an enormously liberating thought to be free of any sense of imposed retirement or a feeling that ageing will make you obsolete. That in itself must promote a youthful outlook.
There’s a hugely pervasive illusion we all fall prey to when we imagine that the ideal life would be to retire and hang about doing nothing. We only think that way because we don’t necessarily enjoy the work that we’re doing, so it’s no wonder that the idea of ditching it permanently seems like such a happy pipe-dream. However, as creative beings, to stay energised we need to keep ourselves stimulated with new challenges – however small – lest we bore ourselves to death. Hasn’t it ever struck you as odd that so many people pop their clogs shortly after retirement? It doesn’t surprise me in the least. I’m as close to a professional lounge lizard as you can get, but even I can’t bear the thought of having absolutely nothing to do ad infinitum.
Not everyone wants to pursue a creative career – or even one that gives them a vast amount of freedom – but I’d hazard a guess that we all want to stay vibrant, upbeat and interested in life for as long as we intend to hang about on the planet. For that to happen, you need to tap into your passions and find something that you’re so fascinated by that you lose track of time when you’re involved in it. Some people find their passion in sporty activities and others have more sedate ways of entertaining themselves, but whatever happens to be your ‘thing’, make sure that you commit to exploring it more fully. Sometimes we can’t easily free ourselves from the job that bores us or the commitments that feel like a burden, but you can make life a lot more interesting by focusing on even one small thing that makes your heart sing.
This week, think back to the kinds of hobbies, activities or creative pursuits that you used to enjoy, but have let fall by the wayside. In some small way, make a step towards reigniting that passion. Even if you can’t find time to get out and do something, then reading up on your favourite interest is at least a small step in the right direction. Life has become way too serious a proposition and we all seem to think we need to be great at something before we take it up. This week give yourself permission to be really crap at something and just give it a whirl. Do it because it makes you happy, not because you think you’d be good at it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it can’t pay off in the end – plenty of very successful people go on to turn a pastime into a thriving business, because their passion gives them the energy to succeed where others with less enthusiasm could not. Just give yourself a stretch this week and try something that makes you feel creative, ageless and gives you the sense that you’ve pushed the barriers of your comfort zone. That’s what will keep you feeling alive, energised and, of course, fabulous, however many candles you have on the cake.
Click through to the Coach Fabulous advice column by using the link in the Favourite Sites section on the right or by going to http://coachfabulous.blogspot.com. For alert emails on new postings, email subscribe@iamfabulous.co.uk. All material © 2007 Alison Porter. No article may be reproduced in full or in part without the express permission of the author. (Originally posted 29 Jan 07)
Topping the women’s list is Helen Mirren, who’s still considered sexy, despite having most recently portrayed the Queen – not exactly a red hot mama! The other acclaimed women of a certain age are Sophia Loren, Meryl Streep, Judi Dench and Diane Keaton. Leading the field for the men is the perennial bad boy Jack Nicholson, with stiff competition from Sean Connery, Robert Redford, Clint Eastwood and Danny Glover.
It’s encouraging to see a wider context for sexiness than the pursuit of eternal youth. There’s a distinctly low incidence of Botox or super-stretched facelifts in this crowd, although Robert Redford did go in for a bit of ill-advised surgery a few years ago. On the whole, what makes these people sexy is their degree of comfort with themselves, a zest for life and a willingness to continue to stretch themselves creatively. That this list exists at all is a testament to all those who have not only refused to fade away in an industry that values youth above all, but who keep finding new ways to reinvent themselves.
At 76, Clint Eastwood is Oscar-nominated again this year for both direction and best film for Letters From Iwo Jima, a controversial take on the WW2 battle, as seen from the Japanese point of view. Only a couple of years ago he not only directed and appeared in Million Dollar Baby, but also made it his first foray into composing the film score as well.
That’s the joy of a creative career – if you have the inspiration, you get to do what you enjoy for as long as you desire and still get to push the envelope. It’s an enormously liberating thought to be free of any sense of imposed retirement or a feeling that ageing will make you obsolete. That in itself must promote a youthful outlook.
There’s a hugely pervasive illusion we all fall prey to when we imagine that the ideal life would be to retire and hang about doing nothing. We only think that way because we don’t necessarily enjoy the work that we’re doing, so it’s no wonder that the idea of ditching it permanently seems like such a happy pipe-dream. However, as creative beings, to stay energised we need to keep ourselves stimulated with new challenges – however small – lest we bore ourselves to death. Hasn’t it ever struck you as odd that so many people pop their clogs shortly after retirement? It doesn’t surprise me in the least. I’m as close to a professional lounge lizard as you can get, but even I can’t bear the thought of having absolutely nothing to do ad infinitum.
Not everyone wants to pursue a creative career – or even one that gives them a vast amount of freedom – but I’d hazard a guess that we all want to stay vibrant, upbeat and interested in life for as long as we intend to hang about on the planet. For that to happen, you need to tap into your passions and find something that you’re so fascinated by that you lose track of time when you’re involved in it. Some people find their passion in sporty activities and others have more sedate ways of entertaining themselves, but whatever happens to be your ‘thing’, make sure that you commit to exploring it more fully. Sometimes we can’t easily free ourselves from the job that bores us or the commitments that feel like a burden, but you can make life a lot more interesting by focusing on even one small thing that makes your heart sing.
This week, think back to the kinds of hobbies, activities or creative pursuits that you used to enjoy, but have let fall by the wayside. In some small way, make a step towards reigniting that passion. Even if you can’t find time to get out and do something, then reading up on your favourite interest is at least a small step in the right direction. Life has become way too serious a proposition and we all seem to think we need to be great at something before we take it up. This week give yourself permission to be really crap at something and just give it a whirl. Do it because it makes you happy, not because you think you’d be good at it.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it can’t pay off in the end – plenty of very successful people go on to turn a pastime into a thriving business, because their passion gives them the energy to succeed where others with less enthusiasm could not. Just give yourself a stretch this week and try something that makes you feel creative, ageless and gives you the sense that you’ve pushed the barriers of your comfort zone. That’s what will keep you feeling alive, energised and, of course, fabulous, however many candles you have on the cake.
Click through to the Coach Fabulous advice column by using the link in the Favourite Sites section on the right or by going to http://coachfabulous.blogspot.com. For alert emails on new postings, email subscribe@iamfabulous.co.uk. All material © 2007 Alison Porter. No article may be reproduced in full or in part without the express permission of the author. (Originally posted 29 Jan 07)
No comments:
Post a Comment