Huffington Magazine Issue 54 | Page 29

Voices AMY WRUBLE HUFFINGTON 06.23.13 Here are 40 other effed up things about being 40: 1. Other than Teen Mom, I have no clue what’s on MTV. 2. When people say “middleaged,” they might mean me. 3. I can’t wear sequins or I’ll look like a cougar. 4. I’m more likely to forget to have sex than to forget to floss. 5. If I eat chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, I’ve gained a size by dinnertime. 6. Even if I finally get a full night’s sleep, I still look like I was up all night. But not up all night doing something cool. 7. At the doctor’s office, I bypass Cosmopolitan and reach for Redbook. I’ll even read Family Circle. There are some great recipes in there. GETTY IMAGES/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY RF 8. I’m probably never going to be a Solid Gold Dancer. 9. Going out without makeup is seeming more and more like an aggressive act. 10. The “me” in my head is like the foxy little sister of the “me” in the mirror. Oooh, my back.” 14. Most days, I choose comfort over style. I’m a traitor to my stilettos. 11. Any girl can look cute like Rachel on Friends in her 20s. Only Jen Aniston looks cute like Rachel on Friends in her 40s. 15. All the tanning I did in college is showing up now as brown blotches. Get a Sharpie and you could draw a cow on my chest. 12. If I strolled across a college campus, people would assume teacher, not student. (Upside: instant Ph.D!) 13. I’m old enough to drink, vote, rent a car and be elected to the highest office in the land. All that’s left on my age bucket list is admission to the AARP. Thanks, I’ll wait. 16. The Psychedelic Furs, Duran Duran and The Cure are now considered oldies. 17. Everything I wore in high school has been appropriated ironically by hipsters. 18. Only a fortysomething is old enough to remember the TV show, Thirtysomething. More irony. 19. Oooh, my back.