Nifty fifty: It's the big five oh, yeah baby

11 January 2016 - 10:07 By Saffron Alexander

Watch out - 2016 is going to be a big year. Not only do we have the Summer Olympics, in Rio, and Nasa's Juno spacecraft landing on Jupiter to look forward to, it could also be the year when the stigma surrounding turning 50 is finally banished from society. For many people, women especially, "the big five-oh" can be a particularly daunting milestone, with many people fearing that they'll become ''invisible" or lose their looks.Expert on ageing Muir Gray argues that the idea of being old is just a state of mind: ''The ageing process technically starts at around 30 but, for most people, it shouldn't become a problem until they are in their 90s."But many of us begin to feel the effects of ageing much earlier. This, Gray says, is due to society harbouring an ''overly pessimistic" view of ageing, which in turn causes us to internalise negative attitudes towards our age: ''This inevitably causes you to conform to the negative stereotypes you believe are associated with ageing."But 2016 is threatening to change all that, thanks to the host of celebrities turning 50 this year.Often people assume turning 50 means slowing down or getting ready to ease yourself into retirement, but with household names like Cindy Crawford (a keen hiker), Janet Jackson (who is about to embark on a world tour), and Helena Bonham Carter (an actress who shows no signs of stopping), all turning 50 during 2016, it becomes clear that our negative perceptions about the milestone are false.Anna James, founder of Spring Chicken, a website that specialises in selling gadgets designed to make life easier as we age, says the celebrities turning 50 in 2016 can only help the growing shift in societal expectations of ageing: ''Age and what it means are changing; being in your 50s is no longer seen as 'over the hill', but being 'in your prime', with a lifestyle that closely mirrors that of those in their 30s.''In a recent study looking at the attitudes of the over 50s we found that people in this age group lead lives [not much different] to those of people in their 30s.''Indeed, they're leading hectic and busy lives, filled with work, family commitments and fitting in friends when they can."Two-thirds of this age group are still working and two in five say that it's work that keeps them feeling young."Other celebrities turning 50 in 2016 include actresses Halle Berry, Robin Wright and Salma Hayek, chef Heston Blumenthal, and actor Patrick Dempsey, aka McDreamy. - © The Daily Telegraph..

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