{"id":1671007,"date":"2022-10-04T03:02:51","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T07:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1671007"},"modified":"2022-10-04T03:04:12","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T07:04:12","slug":"dear-young-women-stop-trying-to-be-coastal-grandmothers-its-not-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dear-young-women-stop-trying-to-be-coastal-grandmothers-its-not-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Young Women, Stop Trying To Be \u2018Coastal Grandmothers.\u2019 It\u2019s Not Healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdear-young-women-stop-trying-to-be-coastal-grandmothers-its-not-healthy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1671007&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p>I was hoping the<strong> <\/strong>hot<strong> <\/strong>\u201ccoastal grandmother\u201d trend \u2014 inescapable over the summer \u2014 would cool and fade with the changing seasons. But dozens of headlines on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmorningamerica.com\/shop\/story\/transition-coastal-grandma-chic-fall-89904974\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cHow to transition coastal grandma chic to fall\u201d<\/a> prove this disturbing lifestyle craze isn\u2019t going anywhere.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>A little background for the blissfully out-of-the-loop reader, the coastal grandmother aesthetic was born where all the greatest cultural movements come about: on TikTok. Twenty-six-year-old influencer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@lexnicoleta\/video\/7080653719628418346?is_from_webapp=v1&amp;item_id=7080653719628418346\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lex Nicoleta explained in a viral video<\/a> that you might be a coastal grandmother if you love Nancy Meyers movies, coastal vibes, recipes and cooking, Ina Garten, and cozy interiors. \u201cAnd no,\u201d she adds, \u201cyou don\u2019t have to be a grandmother to be a coastal grandmother.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Listicle-makers quickly became obsessed with the blossoming trend and promoted it with endless link-affiliated posts on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marthastewart.com\/8288612\/coastal-grandmother-home-essentials-shopping\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">home d\u00e9cor pieces<\/a> and \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/shop\/coastal-grandmother-style-t253673\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">very neutral, classic staples<\/a>\u201d for the aspiring coastal grandmother. And though, with its comforting color schemes and tidy styling, it\u2019s easy to see the coastal grandmother appeal, it\u2019s the <em>attitude<\/em> behind the largely young, nowhere-near-grandmother-age social media users embracing this trend that\u2019s disquieting.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.roseglasscollective.com\/post\/coastal-grandmother-movies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">list of women upheld as icons<\/a> personifying the coastal grandmother aesthetic <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elitedaily.com\/entertainment\/coastal-grandmother-aesthetic-movies\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">includes<\/a> Diane Keaton in \u201cSomething\u2019s Gotta Give,\u201d<strong> <\/strong>Diane Lane in \u201cUnder the Tuscan Sun,\u201d and Keaton, Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Maggie Smith (and Ivana Trump as herself!) in \u201cFirst Wives Club,\u201d among others. What all these characters have in common is that they\u2019re middle-aged (at best), separated or divorced, and are often enduring the painful antics of their ex-husbands moving on with much younger, more attractive women by finding solace in their careers and in curating their perfect homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn the 2009 movie\u00a0<em>It\u2019s Complicated,<\/em>\u00a0Meryl Streep plays a successful Santa Barbara baker in a love triangle with her ex-husband and the architect remodeling her immaculately stylish home,\u201d Buzzfeed News writes in a piece explaining why <a href=\"https:\/\/www.buzzfeednews.com\/article\/kelseyweekman\/coastal-grandmother-aesthetic-lex-nicoleta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cTikTok Is Suddenly Obsessed With Living Like A Middle-Aged Divorc\u00e9.\u201d<\/a><strong> <\/strong>\u201cShe flaunts a wardrobe full of flowing tops in neutral tones, indulges in regular self-care rituals, and frequently gathers with her gaggle of adult children.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The fact that young women \u2014 remember, a 26-year-old started it all \u2014 are so eager to skip the messy but beautiful marriage and child-rearing stage of life, and jump right to the part where they have time to indulge in \u201cself-care rituals\u201d and to spend hours at a boutique furniture store deliberating over the exact <a href=\"https:\/\/jane-athome.com\/coastal-grandmother\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shade of plush oatmeal<\/a> for a living room sectional, is sad.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/lifeandstyle\/2021\/jan\/17\/why-are-increasing-numbers-of-women-choosing-to-be-single\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The Guardian reported in 2021<\/a> that the number of women choosing to be single is growing. \u201cThe Office for National Statistics shows that women not living in a couple, who have never married, is rising in every age range under 70,\u201d the paper noted. \u201cIn the decade-and-a-half between 2002 and 2018, the figure for those aged 40 to 70 rose by half a million. The percentage of never-married singletons in their 40s doubled.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Women who do have children are waiting longer than ever to do so (and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/06\/27\/opinion\/falling-birthrate-women-babies.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">number of children they are having is way down,<\/a> too). The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ny1.com\/nyc\/all-boroughs\/health\/2022\/07\/26\/median-age-for-new-moms-rises-to-30-in-u-s-#:~:text=She%20represents%20many%20moms%20redefining,U.S.%2C%20the%20highest%20on%20record.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">average age of first-time mothers is now 30<\/a>. When Spectrum News reported on this phenomenon, they quoted a woman who fit the demographic saying, \u201cOne thing that was very important to me was to be at a certain point in my career before having children.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s a lot going on here, culturally speaking. Maybe women value their careers because they don\u2019t feel they can, or should, rely on a man for support. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2017\/06\/21\/life-is-much-more-expensive-for-you-than-it-was-for-your-parents.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Life is also increasingly expensive,<\/a> and they may have no choice but to work a lot before bringing a child into this world.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Or perhaps more women choose to be single because they\u2019re hedging their bets. We live in an age in which nearly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wf-lawyers.com\/divorce-statistics-and-facts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">half of marriages end in divorce or separation<\/a>. Coastal grandmother types probably figure, \u201cWhy go through the heartache and financial strain of a marriage that\u2019s likely going to end when I can avoid all that and instead invest in my career and in making myself happy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Except it seems that no one is very happy. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vice.com\/en\/article\/z3n5aj\/loneliness-epidemic-young-people\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vice reported earlier this year<\/a> that \u201cYoung people are lonelier than ever.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/better\/pop-culture\/americans-are-lonelier-ever-gen-z-may-be-loneliest-ncna873101\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">NBC News sounded the alarm<\/a> back in 2018 with a report stating, \u201cAmericans are lonelier than ever \u2014 but \u2018Gen Z\u2019 may be the loneliest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>You know who also seems really super lonely? All those middle-aged, divorced coastal grandmothers looking for meaning in <a href=\"https:\/\/stylecaster.com\/what-is-a-coastal-grandmother\/#slide-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201ca bottle of red wine at 4 p.m.\u201d and \u201csolo long walks on the beach.\u201d<\/a> So why are we exalting them and their empty lifestyles with imitation lives that are even more hollow? Remember, we\u2019re constantly reminded that the coastal grandmother fashion trend <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/lifestyle\/coastal-grandmother-style-fashion-trend\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cdoesn\u2019t require grandkids,\u201d<\/a> and that its focus is on a \u201cslower, easier lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s obviously fine to aspire to a life that\u2019s relaxed and perfectly put-together, but the \u201creal\u201d (they\u2019re mostly fictional) coastal grandmothers earned their lifestyles by a) being married and giving birth, and b) working hard to afford their luxe, slow and easy retirements. Furthermore, these women are, for the most part, disguising disappointment and loneliness with such things as a showy beachfront home and a lot of Botox sessions. They\u2019d surely rather <em>not<\/em> be divorced and prefer not to have to find pampering ways to fill their long, lonesome days.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>To want to <a href=\"https:\/\/stylecaster.com\/what-is-a-coastal-grandmother\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cchange my entire lifestyle,\u201d<\/a> as one young female blogger put it, to something that completely bypasses all the challenges, hardships, and immense rewards of a youth spent on raising a family is perhaps a little cowardly. It\u2019s also deeply concerning for our society. <em>Why<\/em> do women feel compelled to distract themselves with creature comforts instead of embracing the instincts of being a wife and mother?\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The coastal grandmother aesthetic may just be another social media trend people employ to give the world the impression their lives are perfect. But if fashion is \u201ca reflection of who we are and what we believe,\u201d as blogger <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thepearlsource.com\/blog\/how-fashion-industry-contributes-to-society-change\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Carla Jonas<\/a> writes, then a deeper analysis of coastal grandmother fashion suggests millions of young American women value <a href=\"https:\/\/www.architecturaldigest.com\/gallery\/tour-the-ultimate-coastal-grandma-retreat-in-maine\/amp\">retreating to a picture-perfect property<\/a> and indulging in fancy food, clothes, and furnishings \u2014 alone. And it\u2019s not a good thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\" \/>\n<p>\n  Teresa Mull is an assistant editor of Spectator World and writes from the Pennsylvania Wilds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was hoping the hot \u201ccoastal grandmother\u201d trend \u2014 inescapable over the summer \u2014 would cool and fade with the changing seasons. But dozens of headlines on \u201cHow to transition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":992,"featured_media":2315279,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1671007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671007","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/992"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1671007"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1671007\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2315279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1671007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1671007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1671007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}