For Jennifer Lopez, turning 50 was about much more than celebrating a milestone birthday.
The star opened up about why she decided proudly to declare turning 50 with a world tour, saying that when she first brought up the idea, people were confused as to why she’d want to bring attention to her age.
“Everybody thought I was crazy when I wanted to go out and let everybody know that I was 50,” Lopez, who hit the big mark on July 24, said in her travel vlog from the international leg of her It’s My Party tour.
“‘Why are we highlighting this, again?'” she said people would ask her. “But for me, was important. It was important as a woman to do that; to let people know that you don’t get to write women off at a certain point in their life. You don’t get to write people off.”
The World of Dance creator went on to give some inspiration to anyone who might feel like their age is holding them back: “You’re getting better and better as you go, so long as you are open to the experience of growing and evolving.”
Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a little fun, too.
“And until we started the show, it just seemed like a fun idea to me to have a party all summer, also, on the other hand, that it would be so much fun to celebrate my fiftieth birthday in this way,” she added.
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The video diary continues to show plenty of footage from her travels and concerts in Tel Aviv, Israel (where she and fiancé Alex Rodriguez rode a camel and hung out with their kids); Malaga, Spain; Moscow and St. Petersburg in Russia; and Egypt.
Lopez, who brought her family along for the ride, said near the end of the video that she didn’t realize the freedom she would find in openly being herself.
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“I didn’t realize that in just being myself and being unafraid to say that to the world: I’m a woman, I’m 50 years old and I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere, was gonna mean so much to so many people,” she said, adding that she’s “super proud” of the tour she and her team put together.
The video ends with a message sure to inspire people of all ages: “Here endeth the lesson … and the journey. Be your best authentic self. That’s the key to happiness, to love, and to making the world dance … again.”
