I’m so quiet – I could never be the rambunctious, loud 60-year-old

The other day I went along to the Celtic Thunder show in Brisbane and loved it, but as I watched on with others who were enjoying it, something caught my eye: a group of 60-something women were dancing and screaming down the front. I had to do a double take! I thought at first they were young women trying to get the attention of the young Irish singers but no… they were in their 60s! I was aghast and not because I thought it was bad, but I wondered how they could be so confident and loud.

All my life I’ve been the shy or quiet girl. Even now in my 60s I feel really intimidated by women who are loud and full of personality. I don’t feel comfortable being so provocative and “out there”…and I don’t know if I’m alone in thinking that.

I just think getting up and dancing is really embarrassing and makes me cringe. I don’t think it’s a good look for women of my age. As I saw those women carry on, the man next to me said that they looked like “lushes”, drunk women who were desperate for young boys. Cougars, they call them. Maybe so, but I still think that a little bit of class and holding yourself well goes a long way.

I am still an introvert even today and prefer my own company. I’ve never been friends with the bottle, and I have never set foot in a crowded nightclub or bar. My daughter says I’m socially awkward and am isolating myself, but how can I change? I am just myself like I always have been. I think I’m socially anxious, if that’s even something.

I prefer to be quiet and not make a fuss. I often see women my age being loud and cackling away in coffee shops, drawing attention to themselves. I’ve never felt like doing that, ever! It’s a sad way to be in my eyes because you’re an attention seeker. I guess old habits die hard.

So I want to know…are there any other women like me who shudder when they hear a group of women laughing and talking loudly? Who feels “awkward” when in a big social setting? I’d be interested to know if men are in the same boat.

Share your thoughts below.