Beauty in Older Women

‘Age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety’ - Shakespeare This photography project focuses on and celebrates beauty in older women through a series of photographs of women aged 65 and above. My aim is to challenge people’s perceptions of getting older. The percentage of older people in the population as a whole is growing all the time. Yet the ageing and elderly are still often ignored, or considered unattractive. The media tells older women in particular to ‘fight ageing’ with cosmetics and procedures such as botox: maybe beauty treatments can delay the ageing process slightly, but we cannot avoid it, it is a fact of life. I wanted to explore the reality of women getting older yet still feeling attractive, and to emphasise the wisdom, experience and beauty of age. I've travelled from the North to the South of England, photographing 8 women, from age 67 to 79 years old. These 8 photographs feature the women in classical portrait poses, but in contemporary urban settings. In order to give the participants a voice, each photo comes with a statement from the subject, saying why they took part, what message they would like to give to other women their age, and how they feel about image as they get older. I have been working with a social researcher, to ensure the questions are carefully thought out and open for a variety of responses.