The late, great Nora Ephron wrote a book called I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman. In the title essay, she called the neck “a dead giveaway” when it comes to age:
“Our faces are lies and our necks are the truth. You have to cut open a redwood tree to see how old it is, but you wouldn’t have to do that if it had a neck.”
You know the saying, “If you can’t beat them, join them”? Sometimes I find myself thinking, “If you can’t hide it, flaunt it.” As I’ve written before, I became attracted to big rings and nail art in part because of my perpetually stubby, easily broken nails. At some point, I thought, “Fuck it. Nothing is going to make these fingers look better, so I might as well have fun.”
Gorgeous makeup artist Tennille Nielsen apparently agrees. She asked me to make one of my sterling-silver number necklaces with her birth year on it.
Like Shakira’s hips, Tennille’s neck don’t lie.
Here’s a closer look.
What I really enjoyed about this was that Tennille is obviously many years away from having a Nora Ephron-esque bad-neck moment. But she’s gone out of her way to have her neck tell her story. She’s getting a jump start on the neck truth-telling process! That’s an IDGAF attitude that I admire.
If you’d like a birth-year necklace of your own — or any other custom number/letter necklace — holla at me at wbjewelry at hotmail dot com. The sterling-silver birth-year necklace is $275; 18K gold is $900.
I love this. Scratch that – I fcking love this. Go Tenille for being proud and owning it! My mom and co-workers always give me the side-eye and say I don’t have the right to make any proclamations (and I probably don’t, I’m wide-eyed and only 20): I can’t wait to get older. I love seeing women age and how they adapt to it: it’s incredible when they accept the natural process of things and make their age work for them (and not the other way around).
Happy New Year! x
I was a bit more enthused about aging when I was 20 too 😉
Just promise me you won’t be one of those gals freaking out about getting “old” when you turn 25! That drives me crazy!
I’d need a lot of spare numbers just to keep up with my lies!
Nine necklaces for nine lives.
Love your attitude and I agree totally.
Why not, right?
I love this idea!! More of my over 50 crowd should get behind this and flaunt it! Aging is inevitable and I think we should just own it and have some fun!!
Organize some folks to buy these and start a movement 🙂
Love this! All my peers have presbyopia, so we’d all be like, getting our glasses out and checking dates. Flaunt it, for sure, there’s really no reasonable alternative : >
Ha ha! I had to give into reading glasses this year.
When are you going to unveil a crazy new masterpiece??? Your fans need you to produce!!
Monday!
That’s a great idea, to use your birth year. But she’s still pretty young, only 36 or so! ha ha! Her neck is beautiful!
I’m still thinking about the area code necklace. But maybe I should get one that says 1966 instead. That would be really cool.
She does have a beautiful neck — absolutely! Psyched to do your necklace!
I have a friend with a zip code necklace– it’s great!
Wendy, I absolutely love this. Even if I’m on the younger side myself, I love the year I was born (1983), so they’d be numbers I’d be proud to flaunt.
I love this! I think I may want to get one for myself….1967 would look great around my neck.
I happen to agree that 1967 is an EXCELLENT year! 😉
Aw, good for her. And what a pretty and delicate way to say it. 1971 here!
My sister’s year!
I love that Nora Ephron quote – but also love the idea of flaunting your age & not hiding it. Being true to yourself. Agree with Elizabeth though, I’m more than a decade older than Tennille, so think I’ll avoid the year of my birth & go for a TNMA necklace instead! Happy New Year, Wendy!
I would love to do a TNMA necklace!
She is gorgeous and so is the necklace!! How much would a 1953 bracelet cost? I don’t wear necklaces much; never have. Hope your New Year is off to a fabulous start.
Depends on what kind of bracelet you want! Are you thinking a bangle or a charm bracelet?
Hi my dear!! What a fabulous idea, it looks lovely! Not sure if I could rock a ’69’ round my neck, but never say never!! I will definitely get something to coincide for when you come over in summer, maybe some earrings!! xx
Do stud earrings!
What a great idea !! Why not wear your year proudly I’m also 1967 and a dam proud Aquarius haha
Marti
We had a good year!