Jennifer Lopez turned 50 this year. 50 is a big deal for most people, the usual card and slice of cake won’t cut it. But it especially won’t do for JLo, so she created her own birthday celebration and took it on a worldwide tour. Jennifer just wrapped her It’s My Party Tour, which included an international leg. Jennifer took a video log of her travels/celebration that included behind-the-scenes clips, concert footage and personal moments with family so we could celebrate right along with her:
Jennifer introduced the video with a voice-over explaining why she choose to take her birthday global. JLo wants everyone to realize that women don’t have to hide in the shadows once they turn 50.
Everybody thought I was crazy when I wanted to go out and let everybody know that I was 50. That was something, like, “Why are we highlighting this, again?” But for me, was important. It was important as a woman to do that. To let people know that you don’t get to write women off at a certain point in their life. You don’t get to write people off. You’re getting better and better as you go, so long as you are open to the experience of growing and evolving. And to me that was very important to put out there. And until we started the show, it just seemed like a fun idea to me, to have a party, all summer. Also, on the other hand, that it would be so much fun to celebrate my 50th birthday in this way.
I mean, I love it. You all are tired of hearing me wail about complimenting a woman on her appearance with the caveat “for her age.” I am exactly like JLo, I’ll look for opportunities to tell people I’m 50. If I’d thought of it, I would have totally taken my birthday on the road (and am possibly mildly miffed she didn’t think to make our turning 50 in the same year a joint thing, but whatever).
She’s right, women need to remember that we can shine for as long as there is light left in us. And we need to do it in any way that makes us happy. Whether it’s filling laugh lines or rocking grey hair, I just want to see women out there being their version of 50 and not trying to imply there’s anything wrong with aging. I love that JLo blew the f—king doors off her birthday. If she’s turning her milestone into a movement, sign me up.
Photo credit: WENN Photos and YouTube
I wish I looked like her now, let alone at fifty.
I know!
Yarp!
I am 44 and look ok but I have very oily skin and its held me in good stead. But my girlfriend is Fijian and she looks about 28 still as does my other friend who is Vietnamese. Jlo is Latina so she’s got the good skin too.
Conclusion: us whities drew the short straw in this ageing caper!
I have only skin too but I take great care of mine. I am in my middle 30’s and people still think that I’m a eighteen years old. This has nothing to do with race, just take care of yourself and you’ll be fine.
Kiki that was me too. Carded till i was 39 years old but after 40 one does age rather more rapidly. I’m cool with it!
I’m approaching 50. Mediterranean skin, olive and oily. It’s held up well but I also take GREAT care of it. And to be honest, the older I get, the less I want to work that hard to keep it. Yes, it saddens me to see I am aging when in my heart I feel like I’m 27 but I’m also enjoying being able to say: I’m 50 and who cares!!! Very liberating.
Same here. Oily skin carded till I was in my late 50s.
Congratulations. You’re all pretty.
Never a fan, but she’s damn right about this.
Turning 40 in Nov. It’s most definitely not a thing I’m ashamed of. I’m not hiding. I say kudos to J-Lo for not hiding.
I turned 40 last October and it was the most liberating experience. I absolutely love it and have fully embraced it.
Last December for me and yeah, 40 is to be embraced. 🙂
She has horrible taste in men but looks fantastic.
Yes, but then in this same website you all slam Madonna. I think just because you are a certain age you don´t have to act a certain way or dress a certain way. I am not a fan of Madonna but I admire her for in her sixties she is not behaving like a grandma. This is the future, your age should not define how you should live your life: JLo is right, women should not be be written of
at any age and I think that we, as women should stop commenting on other women things like : she is too old for that!
This will be an endless debate I guess. You should be able to do what you want with your life regardless of age. But celebrities are building a brand and an image. Try as I may, I don’t see Madonna ‘doing what she likes’ at any age. That is not how I interpret her at all. She comes across as a power freak with too much money, a great work ethic and a desire to make a stand and still be relevant in our current issues. Regarding the latter, she seems outdated in her affirmation of feminine power as an overly sexualised body with exotic ‘Latino’ fetishes. If you look at the way gender is being redefined now – and has been for a while, we just weren’t looking – the “I can be horny like a man” still conflates women’s identity with a man’s and is very binary. Her showing her legs and whatever else she wants to show is ok by me, that is not where the issue lies.
Good point.
At the same time, women like J-Lo and Madonna are contradicting the very thing they stand for which is women are the equal of men in every way. Instead, they use plastic surgery, injectibles, are wealthy enough to afford the best cosmeticians, personal trainers, hair-stylists, etc. etc. all the while pontificating about how great aging is and how bad ageism is. It’s a mixed message and doesn’t take into account all the millions of women who are just regular folks, raising kids, going to work, doing the laundry, cleaning the house, scraping by without benefit of a retinue of highly paid staff to do the little stuff while they concentrate on maintaining their youth. I don’t care how much you show off your body and flaunt your sexuality but at the end of the day it’s just self-serving and arrogant, it has nothing to do with the other 99% of women.
“I don’t care how much you show off your body and flaunt your sexuality…” Uh-huh. And Trump really told them to stop chanting.
While there are valid points about beauty-related pressures on women, women also don’t have to ape every physical appearance or grooming choice of men (if that’s not what they want), to support equality. Equality is different from sameness. Actually, there are men in Hollywood who have had work done and done other things for their weight and looks too. But due to male privilege, those choices aren’t used as derailment or silencing tools. Jlo having personal trainers and likely having had injectibles doesn’t make her point invalid. Jlo and Madonna’s work don’t make Lili’s point about ageist sexism invalid either.
Btw, the choices to dress or dance immodestly as a woman or to openly discuss sexuality are not, *in and of themselves* (better get that disclaimer in) arrogance. That’s just one of many myths started by possessive, cowardly, conservative, and at times femme-phobic men to control and demonize women. It’s a shame to see women viewing themselves and other women in such a patriarchal and puritanical light. 🙂
I agree it’s self serving, after all we’re talking about human beings who are seen as demigods, so it’s naive to think they would do anything out of altruism alone. Still, the side effects of such stance is positive, so we gotta take it for us, since we made these celebrities anyway.
I know she’s problematic but she is so smoking hot. I mean MY GOD, her body is off-the-chain. She works hard for it and it shows. DAMN.
Serious question, how is she problematic?
She’s an Icon and she’s so right! First, she was a Latina pioneer and now she’s completely changing the false perception that women expire at a certain age. I stan! 😍
I do really appreciate this embracing-age trend. It’s inspiring!
Black and 57. People usually think I’m in my 30’s. In my family we don’t wrinkle just sag. When I’m carded, I just assume the waiter, waitress wants a good tip. IMO it’s genetics, lifestyle and skincare regimen. Grandma had me on a skin regimen before I hit puberty. Love seeing all these 50 and up slaying
Like our people always say, good black don’t crack.
Does anyone remember what her original face looked like?
Her second face looked just like her first face, not much to fix, except normal signs of aging. I think she had a face lift at 40 that’s carried her for a decade. Good for her.
I had great skin and looked years younger than my actual age until menopause hit…sigh…
It was the same for me. After menopause I feel my looks caught up completely with my age (I’m 48). I wear my glasses most of the time now and keep makeup to a minimum, it suits me better. My hair is still my best feature, though! That and good health, I’m most thankful for that.
I don’t like her but I loved every part of what she is saying and doing. Women are not products with expiration date. My only issue is with society itself, who only accept this statement if it comes from a woman who “looks good for her age”.