The Word. Magazine presents a powerful photo-essay on ageing and its joys, in The Ageless Series.
- Fashion
Kiran Singh, Age 48, is Breaking Boundaries with Beauty
COO, Colorbar Cosmetics, Kiran Singh, age 48 for The Word. Magazine’s ‘The Ageless Series’
The Word.: How old are you and how old do you feel?
Kiran Singh: “I am 48, but in my head, I do not want to tack myself to any decade. I feel I could be 37, but do I want to be younger than that? No, not at all. I don’t want to go back to my 27-year-old self…37 is when you start understanding yourself, you really, fully become a person. So if you ask me, I feel my best version today, rather than a decade ago.”
TW: Are you scared about turning 50?
KS: “No, not at all! Though I must say, when someone asks me my age, I feel uncomfortable with that question…why must I be pegged to a number? Why would anybody want to know what age I am? You can keep making your sweet guesses, and I am happy not to help you with that question.”
TW: What’s the best thing about growing older?
KS: “The best thing about growing older, or rather, maturing in your years is that you become more confident of yourself, more aware, and you don’t need validation from anybody. You gain a lot of independence—intellectual, emotional, financial, and social. This is the best time, it’s primetime.”
TW: When do you feel your most beautiful?
KS: “I feel most beautiful when I’m being myself, and not constrained by any stereotype or trying to perform or impress…which, I must say, I did in my 20s and early 30s. But as you grow in your years and experience, you realise your opinion matters, even if there is someone who has more years of experience than you. Your opinion still matters.”
TW: What does the word timeless mean to you?
KS: “For me, timeless is being comfortable in who you are, irrespective of time, age, and circumstances. And that is your key style statement. Just being who you are is timeless.”
TW: What do you love the most about your life?
KS: “What I love the most about my life is the independence that I have today, to pursue what I wish to in my personal and professional life. I am very passionate about beauty, and I have been fortunate enough to build my career in the beauty business. For me, it is just not an industry…I think it is a very powerful medium for empowering women. When we say beauty is transformational, I have personally lived the experience. Back in 1998, when I joined the corporate world, there was little beauty help that women had. I am very happy that, today, younger women have many more options thanks to social media and the availability of beauty choices in India today. So, I think this is the best time and I am very happy to be a part of it.”
TW: Would you say that you love yourself a lot more now than you did a few decades ago?
KS: “I love myself the most today. I think I am a much better person than I was in my 20s and 30s, or even early 40s. Have I reached my goal post? No, and I want to become an even better version of myself as I advance into my 50s and 60s because that’s when the best of life begins.”
TW: Tell us about the tattoos you have, and what they mean…
KS: “I have two tattoos but there is this one that I want to particularly talk about. It says pourquoi pas which is French for “why not?”….We women have been saddled with too many expectations and unstated boundaries, and I want to break some of them and modify a few others. because I feel why not? If not now then when would you do it? So, for me it’s the mission of life, it says why not? Anything is possible if you put your mind to it.”
and in building a personal style that makes you feel happy from within.
TW: Has your personal style changed over the years?
KS: “I discovered my personal style as I grew in my work and travelled across the globe. Back then, in India you had very few role models of who you wanted to be. Especially in the late ’90s, when I joined the corporate world, we didn’t know what was the ‘right’ make-up` to wear to office, or the ‘right’ office attire. I didn’t want to be trapped into what society had to offer at that point in time, so I discovered as I grew professionally and discovered my personal style.”
TW: What do you love the most about your life?
KS: “What I love the most about my life is the independence that I have today, to pursue what I wish to in my personal and professional life. I am very passionate about beauty, and I have been fortunate enough to build my career in the beauty business. For me, it is just not an industry…I think it is a very powerful medium for empowering women. When we say beauty is transformational, I have personally lived the experience. Back in 1998, when I joined the corporate world, there was little beauty help that women had. I am very happy that, today, younger women have many more options thanks to social media and the availability of beauty choices in India today. So, I think this is the best time and I am very happy to be a part of it.”
TW: If you could go back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?
KS: “If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self to be more risk taker, to be more entrepreneurial. I managed to do it in my early 40s, but had I had more confidence in my 30s, I would have done it earlier.”
