76-year-old grandmother ripped apart in comments after modeling sleeveless dress on social media

Opinions abound, but sometimes it’s better to keep them to ourselves.

Candace Cima, a 76-year-old style influencer and grandmother to 11 grandchildren, recently shared a photo showcasing a sleeveless midi dress. While the post garnered a plethora of comments, not all were positive.

“This isn’t the first time, but it caught me off guard,” said Cima. “People still harbor outdated ideas about age-appropriate fashion, and that needs to change.”

In the photo, Cima confidently models a brown knit sleeveless dress paired with a sweater. However, some comments on Facebook reflected traditional views on fashion for older individuals.

“From the side and back, this dress does nothing for you. Form-fitting below the waist is not your friend. Celebrate everything else about your body!” wrote one person.

“Not a fan of the dress with the sweater on,” commented another.

“Not flattering at all. Would never wear alone. Too old to be showing all that skin,” boldly stated another user.

Cima, undeterred by the negative comments, asserted, “It’s perfectly appropriate to have wrinkled skin at 76, and I’m not ashamed of it. Sometimes I want to respond, ‘Should I cover my face too, because I have wrinkles there?'”

Launching her fashion blog in 2019, Cima recognized the need for representation of older women in the fashion space.

“I saw an opportunity to discuss how to dress as you get older. Women have been conditioned to think they need to cover up because that’s what their mothers and grandmothers did.”

“We need to shift the way we think about age. We don’t need to adhere to these old ideas in a modern world.”

Despite facing numerous rude remarks, Cima chose to focus on offering advice to her newer and younger followers.

“Aging is great. Everything you have learned your entire life is now there for you. You are now the wisest that you are ever going to be. Embrace it and be proud.”