Lonni Pike refuses to dress her age. Courtesy of Lonni Pike

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lonni Pike . It has been edited for length and clarity.

Eleven years ago, when I was 51, I got sober after years of struggling with addiction . I felt vibrant again and ready for my life to start.

What I was met with was messaging on TV, social media , and even in day-to-day life that I had missed the train. I was too old, too boring, and I would just need to move along.

Everything associated with women and aging seemed to be negative. Even women themselves were negative about aging, and started hiding away, blending in, or getting treatments to chase youth.

But that wasn't going to be me. I was tenacious and determined to live the life I had another chance at.

I started expressing myself through fashion

Loving fashion, I started finding clothes that told the world who I was.…