“We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”--George Bernard Shaw

I'm still mentally recovering from the best birthday of all time, and oddly this year came with little to no birthday blues. Maybe it's because I'm one of the few people who doesn't hide or lie about their age--not that I'm crazy the number is going up or anything, I just don't really agree with the standards that are pushed today. Popular media seems to only perpetuate woman's fear of aging any chance they get so they can sell them ridiculous anti-aging treatments, botox, and plastic surgery--while the men who are in the spotlight seem to only be portrayed as silver foxes and seasoned gentlemen, while woman are labeled old maids and cougars at best--and I'm not really buying it. I was a late bloomer and it took me at least 24 years to loose my baby fat for gods sake; and in the fashion industry that's considered nearly over the hill, but I think it took that long to come into myself and really become comfortable, and get to know what I'm really about outside of school, and my friends, and the pressures from the outside world. This is one of the main reasons that I have kept the world of entertainment at arms length for so many years (I started modeling at age 7, and was making more money than my mom sometimes, I know how crazy things can get), and chose the independent rout, because I know the game, and there are rules if you want to run in certain circles that would mean compromising everything that I know in trade for moments of glamor that are just fleeting illusions. If you have to compete, you've already lost. And there is always going to be someone younger and more beautiful than the last person, its a vicious circle that keeps the standards in place, and keeps women consumed with fear and self-doubt so they won't have a free mind to invoke lofty thoughts that bring joy and peace to their lives.. I feel I have had great successes standing alone and being my honest self, and embracing who I am. I don't feel the need to play into those ridiculous and unattainable standard just so certain people will find me fashionably tolerable, beautiful, and most importantly young enough to be a part of that world full of people that strive, and live their entire life for acceptance from others because they don't have it in themselves.