For Gen X Women, 40 Is The New Sweet 16
Posted On August 5, 2011
In previous generations, many women may have preferred to let their 40th birthday pass quietly and without notice, perhaps so as to claim to be 39 indefinitely. Not so with Generation X. Gen X women are celebrating their 40th with sweet 16-style parties, resort vacations, and spa days, announcing that their youth is by no means spent.
In part, this phenomenon may stem from the fact the 40s are now more like the 20s and 30s used to be, a time of good health when many start and raise their families. And in fact, a 40 year old today can expect to live 5 or 6 years longer than a 40 year old in 1960. For previous generations, passing age 40 often meant your children were on the verge of adulthood and you were on the verge of grandparenthood.
Today’s Gen X 40 year olds are proudly proclaiming that 40 isn’t what it used to be. “It’s showing the world that 40 isn’t what it used to look like. ‘Look at me. I have so much more life to live and I’m very vibrant and successful,’ instead of crying in the corner,” says one.