No More Body Shaming — Especially After 50

How to Love the Body You Have, Not the One They Tell You to Want

By reaching 50, your body has lived a full, complex life. It has carried you through relationships, children, careers, illness, reinvention, joy, grief, and maybe even divorce. It has stood by you — even when you didn’t stand by it.

And yet, the world still wants you to believe that your value comes from how close you can get to looking 30 again.

Let’s be clear: that is a lie. And at Divorcee Dish, we are done with that lie as of this moment.

We’re done with hiding, apologizing, and contorting ourselves into outdated ideals. We are writing a new story — one rooted in respect, power, and yes, love for the skin we’re in.

Here’s how to start:

1. Unlearn the Lies

For decades, we’ve been told that our worth is tied to thinness, youth, and perfection. We should cover up, slim down, and fade out. But your value never lives in your reflection—it lives in your resilience, wisdom, and presence.

2. Reclaim the Mirror

So many of us have learned to avoid mirrors. We focus on our flaws, zoom in on every new line or curve. But what if you shifted that lens? Look at yourself with appreciation, like you’d look at a friend who’s survived what you’ve survived. Start with gratitude. Start with grace.

3. Move for Joy, Not Punishment

Movement should never feel like penance. It should feel like liberation. Walk to clear your head, stretch to breathe deeper, and dance because music makes you feel alive. Forget what burns calories. Ask yourself what brings pleasure, and do more of that.

4. Eat Like You Matter

Ditch the crash diets and food guilt. Feed your body with intention — not restriction. Choose nourishment over numbers. Eat because you’re alive, not because you’re trying to disappear. Cook meals you love. Please share them with people who make you laugh.

Nourishment is more than just food.

5. Dress for You

Wear what makes you feel powerful, not what others say is “age-appropriate.” Wear the colors you love, the cuts that make you feel confident, the shoes that help you stand tall. Fashion is not a permission slip — it’s an expression of identity. And your identity is bold, layered, and still evolving.

6. Talk to Yourself With Respect

Every single day, your self-talk matters. Ditch the shame language. Stop saying, “I hate my arms” or “I look awful today.” Replace it with truth: “I am strong.” “I’m learning to love myself.” “I’m still here, and I’m still becoming.”

7. Let Go of Comparison

Social media is a highlight reel, not reality. Other people’s bodies, relationships, and routines don’t measure your worth. Comparison steals joy. Reclaim it. Be where you are. Grow from there.

8. Surround Yourself with People Who Reflect Your Worth

Spend time with those who lift you, not break you down. Friends who cheer for your growth, not your shrinking. Partners who see your soul, not just your silhouette. Build a circle where aging is celebrated, not criticized.

9. Love the Body That’s Loved You

It may be softer, rounder, scarred, or slower — but this body has been your home. It’s walked you through pain, carried your children, and rebuilt after heartbreak. It deserves rest. It deserves care. It deserves to be loved — not someday, but now.

Loving your body after 50 isn’t a destination. It’s a decision you make daily.

It’s a process of unlearning shame and choosing softness. Of letting go of perfection and choosing presence. Of remembering that your body isn’t holding you back — it’s holding you up.

At Divorcee Dish, we’re not shrinking. We’re expanding. We’re claiming space. We’re aging boldly, beautifully, and unapologetically. And we’re doing it in the bodies that got us this far — and will carry us into whatever comes next.

You are you, and you need to embrace you!

xoxo

Erin