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First, a definition of a mini-skirt is order: is it merely a short skirt, or a skirt that barely covers the buttocks? Probably there is really no one who should be wearing the latter, unless their day consists of nothing more that grooming, looking good, and posing or standing around. Any kind of activity whatsoever will practically guarantee that something will be seen that shouldn't be exposed in public.

Skirt length and age is quite a debatable topic; moms discuss it, older women worry about it, men appreciate it. Women have come a long way from floor-length to ankle-length to tea length - right on up the aforementioned mini, the micro mini, and shorts. It appears to be an age-related concept more so than propriety.

At what age should a woman lower her hemline? Many would say thirty, but it's believed that those are women who should possibly not wear anything above the knees, ever, and probably never have. Some would say women should stop showing their legs at forty and many should, but it has much less to do with age than with aesthetic reasons. "Nice legs" can go a long way in determining the length of one's skirt; "nice legs" would be defined as tanned, toned, free of varicose veins, and corresponding to one's weight, height, and body type.

A woman in her fifties could very well wear a mini-skirt, providing her overall image and confidence and body type reflect the idea of that type of clothing. Fashion has much less to do with any of these things than self-confidence. A woman who is constantly tugging her hemline lower, struggling to appear "correct", and furtively trying to gauge others' reactions should probably stick with a lower hemline. Much depends, too, on lifestyle - it can be very difficult to engage in physical activity while wearing a mini-skirt.

Age in regards to fashion is very subjective; a woman in her fifties or sixties could appear to be much younger. A more comprehensive and accurate question might be: what type of woman should wear a mini-skirt? The answer could be a self-confident woman, one whose body is proportionate, one whose lifestyle is best served by dressing as such.

Once upon a time, in other centuries, girls wore short skirts until their coming-of-age, at which time their hemlines were dropped to signify their entry into adulthood. Additionally, in these more recent times of several decades past, only women of a certain reputation wore anything considered less than modest.

Forty years ago, when women had grown up wearing near ankle-length poodle skirts, it was unthinkable for them to visualize wearing anything much shorter; when they became grandmothers in the 1980s, they passed these things on to their daughters and believed that, because they had done so, their daughters must also adhere to more old-fashioned standards. This did not only include fashion, but the women of this generation insisted on arbitrating other choices: wearing lipstick, once considered the one type of makeup necessary for a grown woman; coloring hair beginning at age 30 so one would never have to show any gray; things that were "new" to these grandmothers and helped hide the aging process were told to their daughters as these women entered motherhood it was considered "proper" for grown women to do these things.

Today, women can and do wear any length of skirt, depending upon the season, the style, and their own preferences. There is a vast difference between "dressing too young" and wearing a simple mini-skirt; how many women walk around broadcasting their ages? Again, though, the choice is greatly dependant upon the overall image a woman wishes to project and her level of confidence in doing so.

Learn more about this author, Robin Tidwell.
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