Reaching an age of cultural invisibility

A friend complained to me recently that she was becoming invisible. That middle-aged women are invisible, and she was no longer noticed.

I commiserated: as women we spend so much of our lives chasing pretty, only to get thrown out of the game.

I too have noticed growing invisibility. I don't wear makeup or bright colors. I don't wear designer clothes or high heels. There's nothing about me that screams 'look at me'.

Initially it bothered me that no one looks at me, but now I see the fun in it. Self-consciousness dwindles. Risks are taken. My invisibility cloaks me.