A silver wave in the fashion and beauty industry is upon us as older women come to the fore.
Modeling agencies such as Ford Models and Grey Model Agency have been on the lookout to cast older models in order to meet the demand from various brands.
Georgia Makely-Schraeder, the global director of digital and media at Ford Models, says that “We’ve seen more inclusion in breakdowns from clients, requesting specifically more mature models or even a lack of an age range, which was new for some of the agents here.”
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More and more brands have been employing older celebrities and models to represent them. L’Oréal’s current roster of spokespeople include Helen Mirren (77), Jane Fonda (85), and Viola Davis (57).
Saint Laurent has featured Betty Catroux (78), and Joni Mitchell (79). The same goes for men, as Prada has recently employed Jeff Goldblum (70) and Vincent Cassel (56).
Maye Musk (74), mother of tech billionaire Elon Musk, has been a model for five decades and is still going strong to this day. In 2017, she was the oldest featured CoverGirl at age 69.
This phenomenon isn’t limited to celebrities. Modeling newcomers Jocelyne Beaudoin (64) and Frances Dunscombe (90) have also been making a name for themselves.
Beaudoin, a prop stylist in New York, only signed with a modeling agent when she was in her 60s. Her first job was walking in a Rachel Comey show.
She says that women come up to her in public, telling her how meaningful it is to see themselves represented in ads.
“If you’re a younger model, in a certain way you’re not as impactful because it’s an expected situation. But for me, it makes women my age feel good about themselves and that’s very rewarding,” Beaudoin adds.
Dunscombe only began modeling when she was 82 years old, at her daughter’s suggestion. Her first commission was for Prada, featured in Hunger magazine. She has also walked for Chinese designer Youjai Jin and was the oldest model at London Fashion Week 2015.
As an older model, Dunscombe says “You are not the perfect person. You are simply an example of what everyone could aspire to.”
Banner photo via Instagram @mayemusk.
