Monday Musings – Wise Women Era, and What Comes Next

This weekend was glorious. We went to Granville Island, which was too crowded to enjoy, and took two long walks in the forest. Those were just what I needed after the hectic few weeks I’ve had.

I didn’t wear anything interesting this weekend except an all-black outfit that, in retrospect, felt rather plain. I did wear my lemon drop colored tank but it barely showed under my sweater so it wasn’t enough to jazz up the outfit.

And you know what? That’s fine. Downtime is downtime.

Still, I’ve been thinking a lot about personal style, the choices we make as we get older, and how much room we give ourselves to change.

Last week, Angela left a comment that stayed with me. It was on my bathing suit post, which I’d found quite challenging to do because I’m very modest.

She wrote, “As I’ve stepped fully into my Wise Woman Era, I just don’t want that much of myself on display or exposed to the sun.”

When I read her comment, I thought, Yes! This is what I’ve been telling women for years. We get to make these choices simply because we can.

I’d never heard the expression Wise Woman Era before, and I was intrigued. Her comment sent me down a rabbit hole, and I spent hours reading about it and thinking about how well the phrase captured something I already believed.

I suspect many of us are already in our Wise Woman Era, even if we’ve never called it that.

To me, it means no longer feeling the need to explain every no. You know what you like and what you don’t, and you’re willing to act on it instead of smoothing things over for someone else’s comfort. Boundaries begin to feel less like conflict and more like taking care of yourself.

That part feels familiar to me. I know what I like, and I’m comfortable making my own choices. I don’t feel the need to justify them the way I might have years ago.

But the phrase also made me think about the parts of ourselves that are still changing. I don’t think becoming a wise woman means we stop questioning things altogether. If we did, wouldn’t we also stop growing?

Maybe the difference is that we’re no longer questioning our right to choose. We’re simply staying curious about what else might suit us now.

I’ve been thinking about this in relation to my style. I’m not the same woman I was last year, and I don’t want my wardrobe to stay exactly the same while I continue to change.

I still love the classics and I’ll probably always spot a beautiful neutral outfit and think, yes, that’s me. But lately, I also want more looseness, more interest, and more fun. More unique without leaning into eccentric…although that has it’s appeal too.

A few months ago, I spotted a ring that has been haunting me ever since. When I finally stopped to think about why I was so drawn to it, I realized it isn’t classic at all. It’s unusual, expressive, and artistic… not the sort of thing I would normally choose. Maybe that’s exactly why I can’t stop thinking about it.

Perhaps that’s part of my Wise Woman Era too. Not becoming a different woman, but giving myself more room to be the woman I already am. Or perhaps the woman I’m still becoming.

I’m still thinking about that, which may be exactly why I wanted to bring it here. I’m curious how you see it.

Have you heard the expression Wise Woman Era before? Has getting older changed what you give yourself permission to choose, in your style or anywhere else?

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