Why Getting Old Has Become So Cool

I was sitting in my local coffee shop, waiting for my friend to

arrive, when I overheard the conversation at the next table. It was

three women talking about their recent mahjong game. They were so

excited and animated; it was as if they were talking about a

professional sports playoff game and not their intimate, friendly”

competition. 

Their enthusiasm did not surprise me. I recently started playing

mahjong with friends and I am already hooked on the game.

What did make me chuckle was the ages of these women. They

looked to be in there late 20’s or 30’s. Personally, I had started playing

canasta and then mahjong when I was in my 50’s, after becoming an

empty nester. It seemed logically since I had more free time and so

many of my friends were playing.

I’ve always thought of mahjong as a game for older adults but

these women were as young as my daughters.

And it isn’t mahjong that’s popular with young people. It seems

that somehow the ways, clothes and pastimes of older women have

become hip, cool and trend!

Mahjong Mania

“I admit, I used to think of mahjong as a game for my mother and

grandmother, “says Kim Murstein, 30, Co-Host & Creator of the podcast

and multi-platform entertainment brand Excuse My Grandma. But now

she loves playing mahjong with her millennial peers. Murstein explains,

“I resisted learning to play when my grandma and mom offered to teach

me, thinking I was too young to enjoy the game. But I’ve discovered that

playing mahjong is such a fun way to spend time with my friends.”

The popularity of mahjong makes sense. It’s a great way to

connect with people regardless of your age. “We live in a divisive time,”

says Grandma Gail Ruddick, 82 (co-host of Excuse My Grandma with

Kim, her granddaughter.) Ruddick continues, “These games minimize

the need for deep conversations or extraneous stuff. Everyone is

focused on the boards or the tiles. It doesn’t matter your politics or

your age – you can even play across generations. I love playing with my

daughter and granddaughter.”

Caftans For All

In the classic sitcom Three’s Company, the landlady was a woman

in her late 50s named Helen Roper. Mrs. Roper was always wearing a

caftan (also called a “mu mu”), a long, flowy dress in a colorful pattern.

Her attire was similar to that of another iconic older character, Dorothy

on The Golden Girls. 

Caftans are great for warm days, whether you are sipping drinks

by the pool or going out to dinner. Light, airy, and comfortable (no

annoying waistbands or worries about putting on a few pounds over

the holidays), caftans are the ultimate easy-to- wear that looks great. 

So much so that younger women are catching on to their

versatility. Social media influencers, as well as TV shows such as The