yesterday, while working a temp job @ a company that does reality shows (gotta pay the rent, u know) i was asked to be in an adventure reality show. now i’m not really down with the whole reality tv thing… i know that most of it is not really reality and to say i’m big on authenticity in an understatement… also, i don’t really feel comfortable exposing myself that way on national television… if i’m going to do tv it’s going to be music related or a project i felt passionate about… anyway i digress… before i could tell this young casting associate my feelings on reality shows, she asked me how old i was… and when i told her i was 28…she replied, ” oh my god, you look soooo much younger. i though you were like 22.” but it wasn’t really a compliment. or maybe it was, albeit a fucked up compliment when considering her tone and demeanor. 🙂 then she went on to say “oh well that wouldn’t work because the oldest we want on the show is 25.” not that it matters cause i would never have done the show anyway, but it was very interesting to me that because i’m 28 rather than 22 or 25 (though i “look” younger) i am no longer desired for the show. what a difference a number can make! lol! and how attached we are to these numbers!?
now those that know me, know that i’m a big advocate of timelessness. i think that time is a negative restraint. that it is a box that we put ourselves in, our dreams in, our lives in… and though time is necessary (hey let’s meet up at 8pm or i’d like to finish this song by next week) it ultimately, in my heart and mind and spirit, does not exist. i wonder when did we get so caught up in age? especially in LA it’s SUCH a huge thing…and in entertainment it’s even BIGGER! i remember many music execs telling me “well it’s such a fabulous thing that you look younger, so we can lie about your age.” and a lot of artists do that. but i refuse to. it’s a superficial game that i refuse to play.
we are collectively responsible though for perpetuating this way of thinking. how many times do i hear people complain about getting older or lying about their age, rather than celebrating each year? Let us celebrate the lessons, growth, experience, knowledge gained and beauty of each moment of our lives! Yea!
Andrée Belle 