Maybe you call her Nana. Maybe you call her Granny. Maybe you call her when you’re in trouble because you know she’ll be there for you at the drop of a hat. Whatever the case may be, today is her day. But it’s not just Grandma Day—oh no. This July 23, we celebrate National Gorgeous Grandma Day. Today’s the day to tell ol’ Granny just how stunning she really is. She looks fly for an eighty year old, you have to admit. We bet all the grandpas are dying to get with her.
National Gorgeous Grandma Day is celebrated annually on July 23. As the name of the holiday suggests, our dearest, cuddliest grandmothers are celebrated. Grandmothers endlessly love and treasure their families, and typically have an infectious love for life. They have experienced a lot and have the best words of wisdom for us. With all the aches and pains of old age, most grandmothers have positive attitudes and amazing energy, which radiates into our lives. The day aims to celebrate women over the age of 50 and encourages them to defy society’s standards and live it up a bit.
We love our grandmothers but, most of the time, we see them in a stereotypical old-fashioned way. Grandmothers are expected to be calm, collected, have an outdated style, and spend their days baking and knitting. Society’s narrow perception that women shouldn’t dress up, wear bright colors, and go on dates after the age of 50 is primitive. National Gorgeous Grandma Day intends to dispel this mindset and encourage people not to frown upon ladies over the age of 50 who are not ready to retire to a quiet life yet.
Alice Solomon graduated at the age of 50 from Wellesley College in 1984. She realized that society saw her and other women of her age as senior citizens, regardless of whether or not they were actual ‘grandmothers.’ Determined to challenge this thinking, she came up with the idea of ‘Gorgeous Grandma.’ Women who were apparently ‘beyond their expiration date’ and no longer relevant are termed as ‘grandmas,’ so Solomon decided to embrace the term, but amped it up with the use of the word ‘gorgeous.’ Gorgeous Grandma is all about presenting an edgier image of older women and eliminating stereotypes confining them in a limited box.
