I'm well aware that I'm approaching 40 and I'm not lying when I say that I honestly don't care. If you're anything like me, you got all your anxiety over with when you realized that your favorite baseball player was a solid decade younger than you or that guy you checked out on Market Street could feasibly be your son.
I just shrug it of with, "Jennifer Aniston's 45 and still the hottest babe in Hollywood."
The fact is, recognizing the reality of your age is far more attractive than clinging to your youth. Hairpieces, implants, and two cylinder roadsters are the things of midlife crises. They happen when you're slapped in the face with something you can't accept.
It's understandable. The reality of your forth decade can be frightening. Your risk of heart disease, various cancer, diabetes, and simply never being able to regain the health of your youth exponentially begin to increase. But you also start truly realizing the things you'll never experience.
But the good thing about recognizing your 40s is the recognition that it's not too late. I've begun considering my vices in a very real way, namely my weekly visits to the Gayborhood bars and an earnest effort to remain active even through Philadelphia's brutally impending winter.
Booze didn't just stop being cute in your late 20s, it also taxes your health. But from smoking to drinking to drug abuse, the ills of our past can be reversed, especially if you catch it in time. Motivation is the only thing in your way. And like all things American: motivation is found on the silver screen and the boob tube.
For me, it's some of the hottest men in their 40s. Sure, it may be superficial. Hollywood is not known for realistic role models. Women are routinely offered up unhealthy, even anorexic standards. That truly sucks.
But for the most part, Hollywood's leading men are inspirational. And if we're willing to give up our vices and trade several hours of television every night for a gym, the inspiration is attainable.
So here they are...
1. Jason Statham
The "Poor Man's James Bond," or in my opinion, "The Hot James Bond" doesn't just keep it so tight he performs his own stunts, he's one of Hollywood's only leading men who makes bald sexy without completely shaving his head or resorting to hairpieces or hair plugs. There's no doubt the former model's body is the product of a lifetime of professional training, at 47 it's inspirational nevertheless. And if you think this British bad boy is just another Hollywood cliche, check out the U.K.'s Hummingbird, released as Redemption in the U.S. You'll get the Statham you've come to enjoy, but he'll also tug at your heartstrings exposing the ugly reality of substance abuse and homelessness.
2. Ryan Robbins
If you haven't watched Canada's Continuum or Sanctuary, you might not know who Ryan Robbins is. The 41 year old single father from British Columbia has been in entertainment since high school: singing, directing, even working in a circus. But the struggle was real, one that landed him homeless, living in a van. He overcame and succeeded, and has become a mainstay in numerous science fiction television shows. If "lumbersexual" is actually a thing, Robbins embodies it.
3. Wentworth Miller
The baby faced, South African star of Prison Break is 42. With his blue eyes and a hairline any 25 year old would dream of, genetics were very kind to Miller. After drifting off the Hollywood radar for a few years, Miller charmed the public in 2013 with a heartfelt letter to the Saint Petersburg International Film Festival denouncing Russia's treatment of the LGBT community. He can now be seen in The Flash as Captain Cold.
4. Gerard Butler
Gerard Butler drove us wild with his airbrushed abs in 300. But it was't all smoke and mirrors. The production's training routine required Butler to maximize his physique. Despite 300's subtly anti-gay themes, its homoerotic overtones had everyone asking, "who is this guy and where has he been?!" Well, before 300, mostly in the U.K. Like Jason Statham, Butler is another great actor who's graced us from across the pond. Along with his success as a movie star, he's proven what someone struggling with alcoholism and drug abuse can overcome at 45.
5. Rob Thomas
You might think Rob Thomas is a douche bag. But his reputation as a mainstream pop star is a product of the simple fact that he's just so good at writing, composing, and singing music that millions of people enjoy. But he's also a pretty damn good guy. Way back in 2009 when the gay marriage movement was just beginning to generate the momentum it's now enjoying, Thomas posted an article on the Huffington Post called The Big Gay Chip on my Shoulder. With absolutely no pressure to join the gay rights movement, he decided to react to some ugly Twitter comments in the most beautiful way possible. He's not just hot at 41, he's also on our side.
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I'm going to leave it at that. RMDS isn't BuzzFeed and I think listicles (that's apparently a word) are kind of stupid. I just wanted to delve briefly into the notion that 40 isn't old, although I fully understand that my compulsion to write a post about it only proves that it isn't young.
But you know what? It isn't, and that's okay.
The point is, whatever your place in life, it's never too late to be the best man you can be. For me, that point is now, two years from my 40th birthday. But for others it may not be a number, just a hurdle.
Don't ever accept an inevitability. If you're struggling with substance abuse, you can find a healthy alternative. If your parents are diabetic, no genetics prove you have to be. If you're overweight, you can still find yourself in the fittest skin you've ever known.
You are not your parents, your society, or anyone's expectations but your own. No one dictates your choices but yourself. The moment your life's next act is staring you in the face, know it's not an obstacle but a challenge, and charge at it headfirst. When you resolve to be the best man you can be, you feel like a superhero. It consumes you and it's beautiful.
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