I’m 75 and I love wearing red lipstick. It makes me feel stylish. Yesterday, I was getting ready for a family dinner, and my son saw me applying my favorite red shade. He sneered and said, “Mom, you look like a desperate old clown trying to cling to your youth. It’s embarrassing.”

I was taken aback and deeply hurt by his harsh comment. Red lipstick has always been a way for me to express myself.

But now I can’t stop thinking about his words. Do I really look that awful? Should I stop wearing red lipstick?