Is 40 the new 20?

Is 40 the new 20?
They’re hip, they’re hot and they plan never to grow up! Their clothes, music and attitude epitomise the ‘20-till-I-die’ lifestyle. Nona Walia figures out how today’s 40-somethings have redefined growing up
HEY dude, you’re 40-going-on-20. There’s a new breed of supercool rockstars or yupsters (yuppie hipsters) who are redefining adulthood and looking fabulous at 40. This phenomenon looks like it’s here to stay, as 40-year-olds look, talk, act and dress like 20-year-olds, heralding the arrival of a generation that never wants to grow up. This also hints at the end of the generation gap. It’s about Elizabeth Hurley looking divalicious at 40, being the perfect eye-candy in a cleavage-hugging halter-top. Or about Shah Rukh Khan being plugged into his iPod, wearing his clean-chested ‘cool dude’ look. Why, even Aamir Khan wears his ‘40-going-on-20’ attitude on his sleeve! When the New York Metro recently reported that there’s a brave new generation radically rethinking what it means to be grown-up, we decided to figure out if the ‘rebellion’ is real for India too. And yes, after talking to a slew of 40-somethings, we discovered that the slogan is simple: Nobody wants to grow up! Pop diva Alisha Chinai laughs, “Whoever told you I was 40? I’ll be 20 till I die. The fact is, I’m just too young to be my age. I’m a child at heart and a defiant daredevil. I’m young, my music is younger and I sing for a young audience. I chew gum, wear short and sexy outfits... I’m vivacious and wild. Forty is not me, either in mind, body or soul. I shop for tattered jeans, Esprit and Gucci tops… I shop like a teenager. I’m on top of life.” There’s an army of fabulous 40-somethings who are telling the world: ‘We’re the catchall symbol for cool’. In Hollywood, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Sharon Stone, Sarah Jessica Parker and Linda Evangelista are the glamorous superstars, swinging at 40. In fact, People magazine’s senior editor, Galina Espinoza, writes, “I think 40 is not just the new 30, it’s the new 20. We’ve got this crop of stars that actually look better today than they did when they were in their prime. They’re saying: “Hey, at 40 you can not only be a star, but a sex symbol!” The mindset reflects affluence and freedom. Londonbased director Meera Syal agrees, “At 44, I feel younger than I ever did before. I’ve just had a baby boy. And I’ve never looked better. I’m doing new projects. I don’t think this is the end, it’s just the beginning…” Is it popular culture that’s pushing the 40-somethings to get a younger makeover? Subconsciously influenced by the blitz of young and goodlooking faces and bods from the media, many of today’s over-40s are tapping the fountain of youth. Many are even adopting a lifestyle they never enjoyed when they were 20. The exposure, the expectations and the sheer exuberance that living such a lifestyle affords, keep them youthful. So does this mean Salman Khan will never grow up? “Yes, and he’ll dress down, look yuppier and keep appearing shirtless,” says Delhi-based sociologist, Patricia Uberoi. “The 40-going-on-20 is like a new status symbol. We are witnessing a change in generational beliefs and culture. The mantra is ‘shape up or ship out’. Popular culture pays a lot of attention to attractiveness, youth and sexual experimentation. Women are looking much younger at 40 today,” she says. Uberoi adds, “That’s because they want to feel attractive even after they’ve had children. There’s a new dynamic which is defying the hand-me-down model of adulthood.” There’s a cultural churn happening. Consider this an obituary to the paunch. Model Marc Robinson says: “Most 40-year-olds will die of embarrassment if they have a paunch. It’s so uncool. At the recently-concluded fashion week, younger models kept asking me: ‘What’s the deal, dude?’ I play football with 18-year-olds. I have to run like them. They keep me young. I model with 20-year-olds and as I’m with younger people, I have to look like them. We have the same passions. I have to look sexy at 40. My mantra is ‘Keep your life simple, don’t try to be manipulative’. The mind is a powerful weapon. I shop for sexy, fitted shirts. I don’t think, ‘Hey, I’m 40, I shouldn’t buy that’. I hang out at lounges, listen to whatever music my young friends are listening to.” Think of it this way: In her 40s, Madonna’s constantly reinventing herself, Meg Ryan still has ‘that’ girlish thing about her, and Sanjay Dutt is stuck in his youth, perhaps forever. Maybe, he’s listening to the same music as his daughter. There’s no intergenerational gap. Actor Archana Puran Singh agrees: “My kids and I listen to the same music and watch the same movies. Interestingly, in my 20s and 30s, I stopped listening to music. I’m 40-goingon-20 and I’m chasing a new dream. This isn’t a period of compromise but promise. After turning 40, I’ve started wearing sleeveless tops with low necklines and am comfortable baring my midriff. Even my husband Parmeet is shocked!” It’s ironic how the 40-somethings have converged with the 20-somethings to be seen as ‘cool and easy’. Their walk of freedom has just begun. There’s Gautam Singhania, MD, Raymond Industries,who gets his adrenalin rush by racing fast cars, sailing his expensive yacht and hosting the most popular parties. And actor Milind Soman, who runs several kilometres a day, concludes: “Everyone wants to look hip and younger. Our social circle is widening, which keeps us on our toes. I keep doing adventurous stuff. Perhaps it’s because we want to make a good impression and be seen as exciting people.” TIMES NEWS NETWORK


FABULOUS AT 40: Feroze Gujral, Gautam Singhania and Alisha Chinai epitomise the ‘live it up’ culture
TOI/TIMES LIFE/16TH APRIL 2006/PG1&2