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LYNNE HOGGAN: Birthday girl Lorna showed me 60 is the new 40 – and age is nothing to fear

Lynne used to dread getting older, but turning 30 wasn't so bad and a recent 60th birthday party suggests the best is yet to come.

Woman standing on a table in front of a 60th birthday banner.
60? It's just a number for Lorna Mallis. And the same goes for 30, 40, 50 and all those other numbers we get worked up about.

Do you remember being in high school and thinking 30 was old?

(And before we go any further, I’d like to apologise to anyone aged 30 and above who I referred to as old when I was in my early teens.)

Because when you actually hit 30 you realise it’s far from old. And now I’m on the path to being 40, I’m more and more inclined to believe that age is just a number.

There’s no reason why you can’t have fun, or can’t wear something just because you’re getting older, no matter what the magazines and websites try to tell you.

The writer Lynne Hoggan next to a quote: "Age doesn't defy you as a person. And as I creep closer to 40, I'm fitter than ever, I still love fashion and I'm not going to let age stand in my way."

Recently I’ve been noticing headlines online that carry a different underlying message though.

You know the ones: “How this or that celebrity still looks great at 45”.

Or: “How does she manage to look that toned at 50?”

I think getting older is something we need to stop worrying about. Me especially.

Getting older doesn’t mean giving up

There used to be this conception that when you turned 40, you became frumpy and out of touch all of a sudden.

But I’m in my thirties, and I work with a lot of people who are around 10 or more years younger, and others who are older.

When we are sitting in the office bantering no one notices anyone’s age.

Lynne Hoggan as a little girl with her baby brother
Growing up, Lynne thought 30 was ancient…
Lynne Hoggan in party dress running along a pavement with friends
… But now she’s getting older (if not wiser) she’s not so sure.

And at the 60th birthday party I was DJing at on Saturday night, there was a fantastic mix of people all ages having fun.

The kids were all up dancing with the adults and actually, it was the 60-year-olds who seemed to be having the most fun of all.

I stood there, taking it all in, and realised – for all my concerns about facing up to 40 – there’s no such thing as ‘too old’.

Age is a number, not a closed door

Sometimes the world around us, especially social media, can make makes us feel as if there are doors that are closed to us, things we can’t do any longer, because of our age.

But you’re not too old to join a gym. You’re not too old to embark on a new career. And you’re never to old to start again.

Lorna Mallis holding 60th birthday balloons.
Birthday girl Lorna Mallis gave Lynne a new perspective on ageing.

I used to think 60 year-olds were sat at home with blankets over their knees.

But being at Lorna’s 60th and seeing her and all her family and friends partying together as carefree as ever really was an eye-opener for me.

It told me age doesn’t defy you as a person.

And as I creep closer to 40, I’m fitter than ever, I still love fashion and I’m not going to let age stand in my way.

The only thing I will say is that the hangovers do get worse as the years go on.

If only we had the power to change that.

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