I am not a Today watcher. There are many reasons, but the most obvious to those who know me is that the Today show is in the morning. I am far from a morning person.

Nevertheless, I recently saw that two women were feted by the show on their birthdays with “ambush makeovers.” It would be so fun to get a makeover with a friend to celebrate getting another year older. With appropriate makeup, you might even look several years younger — unlike the Snapchat filter that ages you markedly.

If I were to get a makeover, I wouldn’t necessarily want it to happen on my actual birthday. I prefer to treat myself to lethargy on my big day, and getting all dolled up would be too much work. Yet the week of my birthday, I’d be OK with getting swooped up for a fashion consult as if on What Not to Wear, complete with a new haircut and a rare application of makeup, alongside my best friend.

The two women featured on the show were 49-year-old and 74-year-old grandmothers. The 74-year-old told Today she was hoping the makeover would help her find new love. “I want to look beautiful and young — I’m tired of looking like a drab old woman,” she said. Kudos to her for continuing to embrace life’s romantic opportunities — maybe she’s seen a recent episode of Grace and Frankie.

The only thing I would question about ambushing these women for their birthdays is the message it sends. The birthday should be a day you get to be slovenly if you want. If you want to wear baggy pajamas all day, so be it. If you want to go out with your hair unstyled, that’s OK too.

Let’s take the birthday as yet one more day to celebrate what’s inside of women or men, rather than making them feel they need to improve their looks to be happy.

It’s easy enough to find the positive body messaging that I’d want to embrace on my birthday and every day. This post’s images are just a few examples from the Internet.

Happy Birthday every day to your inner beauty.

Image source: pinterest