Never leaving the house again!!

To all these observations I have only one thing to add, told to me by a very wise lady:
'Old age
is
a matter
of
good fortune.'
Bear that in mind and consider the alternative.

All my adult life I have believed what I was told by a friend when I was in my twenties. We were looking in a communal mirror in a ladies’s loo or somewhere, and she said she had never seen anyone who looked so different in a mirror as I did. Naturally I asked her whether I looked better or worse than I did in the mirror. She laughed and said “MUCH better”. She obviously meant it, so I have always believed I look better in real life than the person I see in the mirror.

I am very disappointed to read this may not be true!

Well I know where I stand. I was with a 'friend' yesterday. We were talking about when we were young women in the '60s. She said 'mind you, you were stunning back then'. Then added 'I hope that hasn't offended you'. In other words, stunning back then, a right ugly old bag now!

Chances are KatyK if that was the case when you were younger you will still be stunning as you've aged. Maybe this was evident to your " friend " who may have been slightly jealous ?

Oh no Ellan trust me I'm not stunning!

Well, I look absolutely fabulous in photographs (taken in a very dim light and through a misty filter...)

I can take a good photo or a flipping awful one! I always imagine myself to be slimmer and vow to go on a strict diet whenever I see myself in a photograph. I am OK from the shoulders up.

I hate having my photo taken but in many ways I look better now than I did when young. Middle age weight gain seems to suit me! ?. I see many beautiful women in their eighties and nineties - a nice smile and a bit of lippy can do wonders!

You're right glammy - I read somewhere, a red lipstick makes the teeth look whiter and brighter. Yes, always have a smile for everyone.

I think maybe when we look in the mirror we see what we want to see but a photograph shows you how you really are. It's the only explanation to why when I carefully chose my outfit for my son's wedding, put it on, looked in the mirror and thought "Yes, I don't look bad for an old 'un!" Then when I saw myself in the wedding photos I looked bl**dy awful and I was horrified! Pride definitely came before a fall that day

crazyH- love the name and glad you agree!

When I was a little girl I can remember asking my Mum if I was pretty. The answer. 'you would pass in a crowd'.
The same probably applies now.

My Mum once said while peering into a mirror "It must be so much easier getting old if you've always been ugly!"

I know what she meant now!

Don't forget that little old lady you see reflected in the shop window - and then realise it's you!

Oh yes - I do that!

Since illness put a lot of weight on me I can't look in the mirror anymore either.
I just hope for the best.
When buying new glasses a few weeks back I just asked my friend if they looked ok. There was no way I was going to look in a mirror with my glasses on!
My granddaughter can't believe I am the same person as a the one in a photo of me 40 years ago......that doesn't help.

But my daughter says I am still pretty, she is wrong but I am glad she has her daughter goggles on. she still loves me that I can see.

MOnica I think this is more of a "not taking yourself seriously" thread than a "self demeaning" one

That applies to p2 of this thread, but not p1. P1 was full of people running themselves down, now people are just being flippant. It is a question of being 'the way that you say it'

I've just had to renew my passport and my photo was shocking. Without a smile I look so grim. I also had several photos rejected because they said the outline of my head was unclear. What do they expect when they insist on a light background behind a white-haired lady?

my face is sprinkled with laughter lines showing what a happy life I've lived.
but those deep lines between my brows are my WTF lines. and are they deep

My aunt once told me that I looked like my mother at the same age 'except your mother was prettier!'

I sometimes see my granny looking back at me in the mirror, i don’t mind that

I always think I look better than I really do, I tell my grandchildren not to take photos of me, because I’m slim and gorgeous, but for some reason, in their photos I always look old and fat!

So as long as I avoid mirrors, I’m okay

I think my house is haunted, when I look in the mirror an old lady is looking back ?

Ha Ha Nanabananal!!

Good reason to not look in the mirror too often. However, I do think a lot of people should have a mirror that shows their rear end in tight trousers

I do think a lot of people should have a mirror that shows their rear end in tight trousers

Mines much better looking than my face Aepgiel

My brother always addressed me as Hello Ugly . One day at about 13 years of age a teacher said to me. Get on with your work your big enough and ugly enough to do this yourself. I thought ah god I must really be ugly if the teacher said it. I believed it for years. I was not . Maybe now though lol