19 Jun Spotlight On: Over 40-Over 50 Feeling 40

Hello Ladies,

Bringing you another edition of Spotlight On! This time, I am with the lovely Pam of Over 50 feeling 40. Love her blog name, I really think it is a matter of how one feels too, no matter what age!

I wanted to share with you how I first “met” Pam, what a lovely person she is, and share her insights on fashion, blogging and other topics.

1. Tell me how you came up with the name of your blog, Over 50 Feeling 40. It sounds

obvious but what did it “feel like to you ” to be in your 40s?  My best friend encouraged

me to begin a blog in 2010. I went through an AH-HA moment at age 50 (2005) and

knew I needed a makeover. I began to share all I had learned with my friends, so she

thought I should write it all down. I wanted the title to say I was over 50, but feeling

good about myself. I tried many word combinations, but when I said over50feeling40 to

my husband, I just knew that was it….it said attitude….it said feeling good about myself.

When I turned 60, some readers asked if I would change the name…but I am still over

50 feeling great! It is a positive statement and an attitude about aging at our best.

2 What made you start blogging about fashion? Part of my makeover at age 50

was learning to dress with confidence and learning how to develop a new

personal style…so the way to begin to have confidence was to dress with

confidence. I have always loved fashion, but I left it on a shelf during my 30s and

40s. I had to bring it down to begin again and to learn clothing communicates

messages. It is important to learn how to control the messages the right way.

The journalist in me loves to write about the industry and tell the many fashion

stories out there. I love it as an art form as well.

3. Tell me about your “I Matter” program or philosophy. I became aware of this

when I began blogging and it drew me to your site…..

During my 30s and 40s, I ceased to care about me. I was internalizing negative

messages spoken to me by family members, so I ceased to care about me, and

gave all of my attention to my family. I put me at the bottom of the priority list. I

gained weight, stopped dressing properly, stopped fixing my hair, stopped

wearing makeup. This dreadful person was who I saw for the first time at age 50

and I was shocked I did not know her. So, I MATTER day on the blog is to

encourage women to put themselves at the top of the priority list. When we do

this and care about ourselves inside and outside, then we can do more to help

others (family, work, volunteer) and we will enjoy life more.

4. Tell the readers something they do not know about you that may surprise them.

I love to sing and I performed in musicals as a teen. I love to sing at the top of my

lungs in the car, shower, or my living room which has great acoustics! My most

memorable role was playing Dolly Tate in Annie Get Your Gun!

5. Was there a woman in your life that influenced your style as you grew up? In

what way? I wrote a post in the Huffington Post about a woman in my hometown

who influenced me as a very young girl. Her name was Mrs. Burns and she

captured my attention with her kindness, joy, gorgeous dresses, incredible home

décor and a Christmas display which still shows in my hometown today. Here is

the link to that post: HERE

( Love this navy jacket with the grey slacks. Pam has on a lovely bold gold necklace as well)

6. What is probably your least favorite “trend” right now, and do you even follow

trends? I absolutely hate ripped, distressed jeans…I agree, they are distressing.

It is tragic that these are called fashion and worn by even my age group. Oh, they

are great for working in the garden, but not life out of the house. So, sad to see

them everywhere. I really try hard not to PIN any outfit with them in protest. I do

follow some trends. I think it keeps clothing interesting, current, and youthful;

but there are many trends that don’t work for midlife women. As Clinton Kelly

used to say, “Don’t compete with a 25 year old. They will win every time!”

7. What is something that you are more willing to splurge or invest in? Right now

I cannot splurge on anything while I am looking for a new career. But in the past,

it would be a great jacket, pants, or dresses. I love well- made clothing and,

despite what some say, quality does make a difference in fit and wear. I love

statement pieces…maybe a great jacket that just looks fabulous on top of

anything is what I would spend money on. Also, I am completely a Fall & Winter

girl…splurges will be on pieces which go across all seasons.

8. What does “dressing down” mean for you? I guess Saturday morning at home

or in the yard. It means my boyfriend denim pants, and a tee shirt with flip flops.

I try to dress up even when I run errands…you just never know who you will run

into or who is watching you because of your blog.

9 How has your style changed throughout the years? I have tamed the beast. I

use to be all about bright colors, all-over prints, lots of accessories, and mostly

oversized styles. Now, I try to wear clothes which fit better, outfits are

predominantly neutral based, and accessories are less…. Less is more.

10. Do you think fashion has changed for women over 40? I hear many women

say there are no clothes for them on the market. I completely disagree. I think

fashion is there for all women 40+. We just need to learn how to style the clothes

and what we want to say with our style. The clothes are there…women need to

know what to do with them. That is where blogs and other media come in.

11. What colors do you find to be the most flattering on you? Saturated colors

like deep, eggplant purple; deep blues; forest greens; and burnt orange….some

readers say that burnt orange is my best color.

12. Are you a handbag or a shoe girl? What do you think the fascination is with

women and shoes? Tough decision…I love them both equally! How could I ever

choose between the two? My fascination with shoes began when I was not

confident in my clothes, so I gave shoes all the attention. I guess maybe if I had a

great pair of shoes, I thought no one would look at the rest of me. Now, I love my

clothes more than shoes…shoes and bags are just icing on the cake.

13. Any advice you could give women as they get older in regard to appearance?

Please understand that your appearance on the outside does affect how your feel

about yourself on the inside. If you take the time to look great every day…even if

you work at home…you will have more confidence and feel more joyful

throughout the day. Looking frumpy and giving up on appearance will eventually

lead to depression. This is true. You MATTER….life is short…live to the fullest

every day and look your best while doing it.

14. Now you are on YouTube, what is the biggest challenge? The challenge of

video is to look your best…I sometimes see all the fatigue and wrinkles on my

face. It is also a challenge to keep them interesting and engaging in a short

amount of time. I think I will keep it going, but it is a challenge. I am way more

comfortable with writing!

Love the shape of this silver jacket and unique print! Pam has a knack for finding artistic looking jackets!

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Follow Pam Plutrell  See more of PAM HERE AND HERE

Hope you enjoyed this interview and have a great weekend!

Jess XO