At Milan Fashion Week this past Wednesday, Jo Ellison experienced a deeply personal moment amid the glamour and bustle of the event. While attending a Fendi runway show, Ellison received a call from her husband, delivering news that their 14-year-old family dog, Alvin, had suddenly fallen ill and was being examined at an emergency veterinary clinic in Palermo. Alvin, who had quietly been living with cancer, deteriorated rapidly, prompting a difficult decision to humanely euthanize him within minutes.

Ellison left the show abruptly before the first look appeared on the runway to say farewell to Alvin via FaceTime. Her emotional goodbye unfolded amid a backdrop of animal-rights protesters staging an anti-fur demonstration outside the venue, highlighting ongoing debates around Fendi’s continued use of mink, Arctic fox, and sable fur. The juxtaposition of personal grief and public advocacy underscored the complex relationships between humans, animals, and ethics in contemporary life.

Reflecting in her hotel room, Ellison found resonance in the new HBO series "Youth," created by Sharon Horgan, which debuted the same week. The show explores the nuanced experiences of navigating life in one’s fifties, blending dark humor with the realities of ageing, including disappointments, changing relationships, and shifting identities. "Youth," as the final installment of Horgan’s trilogy, follows the protagonist Alex, a divorced woman balancing her career, parenting, and a waning sense of youth and sexuality.

Ellison notes that while popular narratives often celebrate the fifties as a vibrant, liberating decade full of experience and newfound freedom, there is an equally pervasive, less optimistic counter-narrative. This perspective emphasizes physical changes such as thinning hair, cognitive challenges, diminishing libido, and weight gain, alongside societal pressures, particularly for women, to maintain youthful appearances through rigorous exercise and hormone replacement therapy. The so-called "sandwich generation" must also manage simultaneous responsibilities for both adult children and ageing parents, adding emotional and financial strain.

Her dog’s death symbolizes more than the loss of a beloved companion; it marks the end of a chapter that coincided with her own midlife journey. Alvin’s presence had provided a tangible link to Ellison’s younger self, accompanying her family through infancy, adolescence, and the transition to university for her daughter, who just turned 21. With his passing, Ellison acknowledges entering what Horgan terms "young old age"—a phase characterized by acceptance of life’s march forward, with all its challenges and privileges.

While Ellison admits to not embracing this stage fully, she finds solace in Horgan’s candid portrayal of its complexities, appreciating a frank acknowledgment of its difficulties without sugarcoating. The message emerging from this reflection is one of resilience: despite the emotional toll and physical changes that accompany ageing, there remains value in engaging fully with life’s unfolding chapters. As Ellison wryly puts it, "you’re only young old once," and so the imperative becomes to keep living, adapting, and finding meaning amidst the transitions.