By Rebecca Drew
STYLISH WIDOW is determined to âSTAY VISIBLEâ to fight against ageism and has almost FIFTY-FOUR THOUSAND followers on Instagram where she showcases her most outrageous looks.
Former psychiatric nurse, style blogger and model, Judith Boyd (76) from Denver, Colorado, USA, has always had a keen interest in fashion â particularly statement headwear.
Working as a psychiatric nurse  beginning in the seventies, Judith showcased her hats while working in mental health settings as a form of âmeditationâ for herself but also to brighten the days of her patients, many of whom were going through the most harrowing time of their life.
As she grew older, Judith grew frustrated by the lack of positivity surrounding ageing and the terms used to describe older women. After doing research, Judith decided to reclaim the word âcroneâ and turn it into a positive sentiment – with the support of her late husband, Nelson, as her photographer, her blog, Style Crone was born in 2010.
Nelson was diagnosed with cancer in 2005 and Judith cared for him until he sadly passed away aged 62, nine months after her blog was set up. Judith carried on with her blog in Nelsonâs honour and says all her modelling opportunities since are born from âthe ashes of griefâ.
Judith now has an incredible 53.9K followers on Instagram under the handle, @stylecrone, where she showcases her incredible sense of style and taste in hats.
Social media has given Judith an online support system in addition to her friends and family in real life and despite some negative comments regarding her outfits, Judith, who turns 77 later this month, continues to stay active and visible online to stand against ageism as she cherishes the âgiftâ of growing older.
âI started my blog in 2010, nine months before my husband died of cancer and he was my photographer which was something he had never done before. I blogged about outfits and cancer caregiving, outfits and death, outfits and grief and then outfits and my reinvention which all of this is part of,â said Judith.
âNone of this would have happened; my modelling, everything what Iâm doing now with Style Crone comes forth from the ashes of grief.
âI researched words to describe older women and there were none that were positive. There was only âmatureâ but mature could mean a twenty year old, a younger person could be mature and so I was drawn to the word âcroneâ because in the past, older women who the word crone was used to define were revered and considered to be a very valued part of culture.
âAt this point, the word âcroneâ in the dictionary was defined as an âugly old womanâ so I thought it was time to reclaim it and turn that word on its head and turn it into a positive. My deceased husband was very supportive of me using that term.
âWhat we created together lives with me today and so I just keep moving forward even though sometimes itâs not easy as it takes a lot of time and effort, itâs a labour of love and I keep moving forward to see whatâs going to happen next.
âIâm a mixture of introvert and extrovert. I think my confidence was built and the major change for me was my relationship with my deceased husband. He was just so supportive and adored me just as I was, and I feel that that was what created the anchor for me to grow and to stretch.
âDuring the time that my husband was sick and dying, I had this new support system. My friends in real life were supportive but online was a support system I hadnât realised was out there. There was no one else blogging about style and death at the time.â
Incredible pictures showcase Judithâs passion for headwear, the number of how many items of which she owns would be too time consuming to count.
Judith went onto discuss how she deals with negative comments but praised her blogging and modelling career now for allowing her to interact with people from all walks of life, which keeps her curious.
âThere are always going to be haters out there but theyâre easy to delete. I just donât pay attention to it at this point. Not everybody is going to agree with me, Iâm not for everybody and thatâs fine,â she said.
âIf thereâs an intensely negative comment, I have the power to delete it. I donât have to see it. If someone doesnât like my style, thatâs one thing. I donât have to see it. But if that goes to the extent of hate, I just delete it.
âThere is ageism. Ageism is a very real thing and thatâs part of what my blog is about. I will be seventy-seven this month and Iâm very proud of it, so I flaunt it. I feel like itâs a political act to stay visible as an older woman. On social media, itâs my responsibility in a way.
âNo matter where I travel now, there is always a blogger, an Instagrammer or a milliner wherever I travel, and it just makes life so rich and interesting. Itâs important to maintain curiosity. Curiosity fuels my life.â
Judith shared her top tips to help other older women who might feel left behind by society.
âNumber one, focus on your health and then from there just have a passion whether it be gardening, or painting or art, for me art is putting together ensembles, thatâs my art,â she said.
âYou donât have to focus on style if thatâs not your interest or something you want to pursue. If you are wanting to focus on style, let it be your own self-expression, and let it come from inside.
âI can appreciate the style of everyone I see, if youâre very casual, or youâre very understated, thatâs fine. I just happen to be very into hats, headwear, sustainable fashion, and finding what I wear is very positive for the environment is something thatâs important to me, climate change is something Iâm very interested in now.
âJust be who you are, learn about ageism and educate yourself about it because that is a way to feel more empowered as we move through this time in our lives. We have value, no matter our age. Another thing I think is important is to form relationships with all generations and from all backgrounds, it will add so much value to your life.
âTo be growing older is a gift because so many people I know have not had the privilege of growing older. I just focus on my own style and itâs my self-expression. I feel that feeling positive about myself and where I am today is the most important message I can convey.
âItâs ok to be the age I am or to be older or younger but itâs important to enjoy my life. Itâs very important to have a passion or to feel as though I am giving back and my focussing on climate change is because I want my grandchildren to have a liveable planet.
âFast fashion is very much contributing to climate change. Thatâs why I wear what I see to be sustainable. Buying second-hand and supporting artisans and small businesses is important as well. Iâve been doing that since the seventies and I didnât even know about climate change at that point.â
For more information see www.instagram.com/stylecrone/