Grand Dames: How older models are taking over the show
updated the 6 October 2015 à 23:21
Say goodbye to the lanky, gazelle-like figures on billboards because we might just be seeing more older, mature women take over campaigns this year.
For the longest time, the fashion and beauty industry has been caught up in the clouds with seemingly pore-less, wrinkle-less and taut faces in that the models gracing giant billboards around the were world were only getting younger. However, ironically, these models were selling anti-aging products that cater to, you know, older women who actually face the laws of gravity.
Thankfully though, sometime last year, the industry started opening up by inviting more and more older women to front campaigns as their brand ambassadors. Then this year, every other brand followed suit with what equally became known as the next trendy approach. The key word here? Trendy. Fashion and beauty thrives on being trendy, so while we were thrilled to see more realistic beauty standards being portrayed and celebrated on a mass platform, we couldn’t help but feel slightly cautious that this was mere marketing genius.
In the beauty world, there was Stephanie Seymour, 45, for Estee Lauder’s Fall 2014, Charlotte Rampling, 68, for NARS, Jessica Lange, 64 for Marc Jacobs Beauty and Helen Mirren, 69, for L’Oreal Paris. Now, the fashion industry is no stranger to using older models but it was few and far in between. Towards the end of 2014 though and till today, more and more Spring campaign have, well, sprung up with these ageless beauties so brilliantly photographed.
Louis Vuitton had Catherine Deneuve, 70, Dolce and Gabbana had three matronly women, Celine had Joan Didion, 81, Saint Laurent had Joni Mitchell, 71 and recently Kate Spade revealed Iris Apfel, 93 at the centre of their campaign. Even Barneys New York did a campaign where they invited older supermodels to be their stars.
Like us, many have dismissed this as a trend that will pass as quickly as it became exciting. But given the proud stamps of approval that emerged almost instantaneously, perhaps people are beginning to see that tall, slim and youthful is not always the best bet. After all, for beauty advertisements, if anything the images will show exactly how beautiful and graceful one can look as the age number climbs, eliminating fears of aging and celebrating that old is not just sad and saggy.
As long as this doesn’t turn into a ‘like’ and ‘virality’ contest as to which campaign creates the biggest shock online, we’re certain that by embracing age with images of powerful, fulfilled and accomplished women will serve to forge more genuine and achievable standards.
After all, these are the women who are telling the world to see it as it is, without the facade of airbrushing.
Tarandip Kaur
