Can You Be a Barbie Princess When You're 40?

As I get older, I'm reevaluating my style. Is it internalized ageism, or changing taste?

Welcome to the latest Fashion Friday! Since I’ve gained a lot of new subscribers recently, heads up that every Friday I do an article about fashion, but fashion isn’t my main “thing.” No, you did not accidentally subscribe to a fashion Substack. But hey, I encourage you to check it out anyway. If you’re a man and not interested in women’s fashion, check out my guide for how men can dress sexy or the results of the men’s fashion survey.

If you’ve seen how I dress, you might think it’s not your taste, but you probably won’t think it’s boring. I’ve been accused of dressing like the following things: a flight attendant from Austin Powers, Cher from Clueless, Fran in The Nanny, and most commonly, a life-size Barbie or Polly Pocket.

Exhibit A.

This was all intentional. Because I open myself up to feedback (note that being open to feedback doesn’t mean agreeing to take it) people often suggest that I “discover” things like simple staples from Everlane, or a “nice pair of wide-leg trousers” from Aritzia. I am fully aware that those things exist. I don’t live on Barbie Island where I’m surrounded only by bubblegum pink and pastel gingham. Everything I’ve worn as been intentional, even if it looks cartoonish and silly to some people. While my fashion goals change over time, looking unremarkable and inoffensive has never been one of them.

But I’m about to be 36. And unless life has horrible plans for me, I will turn 40 in a few years. I currently dress like I’m much younger than I am, not because I want to appear younger but because that’s what I like, and I feel like I was robbed of fun clothes in my twenties when business casual clubwear and coral chevron print were all the rage (yes, I was wearing a shrunken blazer and bauble necklace while taking kamikaze shots at the club.) But as people do with any aesthetic, I’ve gotten a bit bored over time. The same way I’ve grown tired of athleisure, I’ve also gotten a bit tired of dressing so predictably like a doll. And I can’t imagine a world in which I’ 40, I totally look my age, I dress like a five-year-old’s toy, and I don’t look a little bizarre.

But how much of my feelings are a reaction to the trends or boredom, versus a not-justified fear of looking stupid as I get older? Is anything really about what I think or am I caving to the pressure of a small percentage of fashion people who judge others’ clothes, or worse—people who think women over a particular age should disappear? Most importantly, can you dress like a princess Barbie at forty without looking really silly?