Clothes Talker — How High or Low Do Your Hemlines Go?

The great thing about getting older (unless you're Cher, who basically said there's nothing good about getting older), is that you have the courage to say and do things you wouldn't have said and done when you were younger. ("Get out of my seat, whippersnapper," to the kid on the bus, for example.)

Also, how you decide to dress is less "what will people think?" and more "how does this make me feel?"

But, by the time your confidence is proportionate to how awesome you are, you're suddenly in danger of violating the "age-appropriate" rules, as Jezebel points out.

Things like glitter and pigtails might be more obvious for the "don't do it after 35" list (though both still appear on women of all ages, truly), but in some situations, wouldn't it be nice if we didn't restrict ourselves to what we think is reasonable just because we are of a certain vintage?

We all get that Hello Kitty thong underwear for teenagers (looking at you, Delia's catalog), worn to peek out above the waist of jeans is not appropriate for ... well, anyone.

Yet Sharon Stone wearing a short (designer) dress to an awards show somehow seems appropriate, given the alignment of occasion and occupation, and her still-fit physique.

But see, maybe that's just it: Do we scoff at what people are wearing, saying it seems slightly suspect for their age, only if the lumpy bits and jiggly parts are evident? If the person looks like they can pull the look off, then we seem to be more forgiving. Or at least, not quite as catty.

Joan Jett still wears leather pants and tight tank tops. And yes, right, she's a rock star.

But, she's a 50-year-old rock star.

I don't know what that says for the rest of us, but I'm just glad she's at least on one end of the yardstick, aren't you? And she's setting a good example that maybe you can be 50 and fabulous, in whatever you want to wear, as long as you're taking care of yourself (J.J. doesn't drink or smoke anymore, so there's that).

But pulling it off (or, actually putting it on, whatever it is) ultimately comes down to confidence, and confidence is one of those things that is always age-appropriate.

So, if you're going to wear something, wear it well. If your outfit is making you doubt yourself or your choice in clothes, maybe it's actually your confidence, and not your wardrobe that needs changing.

Photo courtesy of Sylvia Neugebauer@sxc.hu.