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I was born in the mid 1950's, just around the time the very first "teen culture" appeared, closely followed by rock and rock and generation after generation who were determined to do their own thing.

The new generations were determined not to follow in the footsteps of their elders. I can remember as a child when a woman reached 30 she was virtually written off as old, and she often looked it with short permed curly hair, tweed skirts, twin-sets and pearls. By 30 women often looked a clone of their own Mother as that was what society dictated, and that was how society expected her to behave and to act.

Then like a series of nuclear explosions changes in attitude appeared, rock and roll and the feel good attitude, icons such as James Dean and Marilyn Monroe were impossibly glamorous.

Closely followed by The Beatles and the Rolling Stones who had very differing images but all of a sudden it was OK for young men to be interested in fashion, and attitude and posturing such as Mick Jagger's was seen to be cool. Germaine Greer and others defended the rights of women and encouraged bra burning and emancipation and slowly women began to think of careers, just like the men. Many started to juggles family and careers and the extra money meant more spending power to buy nice clothes, cosmetics, better food.

Added to this we all became better nourished as rationing finished, better dressed as cheaper clothes flooded the market from other countries. The better nourishment was supported by advances in farming and in medicine and also plastic surgery. All of a sudden it was possible to get features you didn't like altered or fixed.

And so we entered the age when visual perfection is required in order to live the dream and men are just as likely to buy cosmetics as women.

Now 30 is not seen as old - often it is the point when as adults we come into our own. 40 is the new 30, 50, the new 40 and so on.

the likes of Mick Jagger and Sir Paul McCartney have officially reached retirement age but are still leaders in their fields and are just as likely to be seen in black leather trousers and jeans, and neither is thinking of settling down to a cosy retirement.

The last 50 years have seen a quantum shift in how we look at age and in our attitudes to aging. We recognise that some people are capable of working past the normal retirement age, others are not. that it is possible to still have fun and realise ambitions after the age of 30.

40 is not only the new 30, I suspect it will soon be the new 20, as medicine and good food enable us to live longer and enjoy life to the full.

Learn more about this author, Suzie Blu.
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