A 70-Year-Old Woman Refuses to “Go Invisible” and Breaks Stereotypes With Her Fashion Choices

Fashion trends come and go, but personal style has the power to stand the test of time. Over the years, we often find ourselves leaving certain clothes behind and adopting others that, according to society, correspond to our age.

But Julie Ford, a 70-year-old woman, refuses to follow those unwritten rules. With a knee affected by arthritis, she doesn't care what others think and still dares to wear short tops and side-slit skirts. Although she doesn't consider herself a fervent follower of the latest trends, her main goal is not to become invisible.

Determined not to "go invisible", this fitness enthusiast refuses to hide her toned abs and does abdominal exercises in a bikini. "I’ve done the ‘fabulous 50s’ and the ‘sexy 60s’ and now I am planning on doing the ‘super-fit 70s’," the woman joked.

Her passion for sport blossomed at school, where, the now-retiree confesses, she didn't excel academically and simply wanted to "run outdoors". After completing her teacher training at 18, she began teaching physical education in East Sussex and still works part-time in a school.

Outside the classroom, she participated in fitness groups and enjoyed working out with Jane Fonda in the 1980s. Even becoming a wife and mother didn't stop the Sussex teacher, as her children also share her love of an active lifestyle.

Julie, now 70, still runs, cycles and walks regularly, but has had to give up her hockey stick in recent years. Although you might think Julie is simply showing off, her appearance has taken on a huge importance after battling cancer a few years ago.

In 2013, she went for what she thought would be a routine mammogram. However, it was later revealed she had stage two breast cancer, leaving the then 63-year-old devastated.

“It’s still hard to believe I ever had cancer because I felt so healthy,” she admitted, revealing that she even scheduled her treatment to begin in the fall semester, just so she would have more time to enjoy the work she loved.

She added, “I used to be known as the lady in the village who cycled everywhere with hardly any clothes on because I would only wear shorts and a crop top!” However, after a month of radiotherapy, Julie’s health slowly began to improve, and the experience also had another strange side effect.

Having enjoyed the gym in her youth, the PE teacher found she was looking for a change of pace and opted to swap high-impact exercise for walks in the countryside.

Inspired to adjust her routine, she was eventually motivated to create InStepp, a resistance band specifically for walking. Devising more than 30 experimental models, she says this process helped her regain her self-esteem and keep fit.

The product is now on sale online, and the retiree uses it during her holidays in Croatia and Cornwall. "I don’t want to look like mutton dressed as lamb, so I usually cover my arms and legs, but I like to still look nice," she said, adding that "I have spent my whole life showing off my body, not because I am vain but because I feel good."

Julie even commented, "I have two adult kids, a 2-year-old granddaughter, and a second grandchild on the way. None of them has given me the excuse to look — dare I say — 'Momsy'."

It’s never too late to dress to the nines or even tens. An elderly couple from Germany shows us how to bring some color into the world.