Disclosing one's age

The beautiful model turned photographer Suki Wilde, of whom I have been a great admirer for well over two years got in touch with me a little while ago and asked me to do a shoot with her. I was delighted. We arranged to meet and we got on wonderfully well, as I thought we might. Suki is an incredibly beautiful forty something, a model, an actress, a mother who like me had her children when she was young enough to be able 'to grow up' with them, and now she is a serious photographer - I am also trying to get there, but am still struggling to get to know my Bronica.


We had coffee and began to talk. You know what it is like, when you meet a kindred spirit. You just talk and talk forever. We swapped bits about our children, we discussed photography, envisioned a couple of scenarios for the shoot, talked about our modelling and more generally our attitude to life.

We are both on deviantArt and on sites such as Model Mayhem . At some point, inevitably so, we talked about the problems encountered by models over 40 - I also had a similar conversation a while back with the wonderful Micki Baxter who at 54 reckons  she is not getting as much commercial work as she used to and it beats me, because she has the longest legs I have ever seen and is  in such perfect shape!

We both agreed that on sites such as MM models should not have to disclose their age, so long as they can say that they are over 18. It's not that there is anything wrong with our age, it's just that people have preconceived ideas and if they did not know the age of the model they would go entirely by the way she looks, which is all that matters in deciding whether she is right for the job. The moment you say how old you are a whole set of preconceived ideas kicks in and many photographers/commercial casting agents will not look at your folio as a matter of principle.  I have seen women (and men) much younger than me with bodies that were in pretty bad shape.  So this age thing is just in the mind.


These days, with life expectancy being much higher, there is a whole section of society composed of mature consumers, with disposable income and time on their hand. It might be a good idea to include older models for jobs which are definitely of a more commercial nature. As a consumer I would like to see great looking women closer to my age modelling swimsuits and various outfits, not women the same age as my daughter (in my case I dont have a daughter, I have a son, but the crux  of the argument stays the same).


Age does not tell you anything about the physical condition of a model, except what one's preconceptions about a particular age might be. It seems incongruous that for fine art where the body is exposed in all its glory age does not matter, whereas for a clothed body age  - a number really - is a determining factor. It is about time that the link between beauty and youth should be discarded as a fallacy.

Models by definition are in better physical condition than their peers.  Thus shooting glamour with models under 45 implies that women over 45 lack sensuality. But by the time women are fifty  and above they are much more confident  about their sexuality, as they no longer have to contend with unwanted pregnancies. This is the time when they can really enjoy sex without worrying about possible consequences. The allure of a woman who knows her body and how to respond is unbeatable and I have known many a young man lust over a much older woman - the proverbial Mrs Robinson.

When I see the sixty something Catherine Deneuve I am struck by the sensuality she oozes, which is even greater now than when she was twenty. I remember my son, a twenty three year old, telling me that he could watch Catherine Deneuve for hours and never tire of her. 'You mean when she was your age" I asked. 'No, Catherine Deneuve now and then".


Earlier today I did a quick experiment. I posted on the forum of Purestorm, one of the model/photographers sites I am a member of. My question was whether models should disclose their age. Some of the replies were pretty curt, implying that it is a nuisance that older models fail to understand that the age parameters are set by clients. That's all very well. But parameters can be reset, can they not? Especially when the idea is to go out and tap into a section of the market which is guaranteed to return profits: the older consumer.

It begs the question: why are people so reluctant to embrace change?


(All photos from the Waterfall series are by George Swift. The last one is by Peter Hedgecock. All photos modelled by Alex B.)
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Comments

  1. Why are people reluctant to embrace change? That's a post in itself, Alex. Right now I am steamed about some of the comments you received on Purestorm. I am at work on a post.

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  2. And I truly look forward to reading it. Thanks UL. I sometimes think that without your friendship and support I would be quite lost.

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  3. I do agree with you, Alex.
    If it is any consolation, at 30 I am already classed as a 'mature model.' Many castings specifically request a model 18 - 25, and that rules me out despite the fact I reckon I could wipe the floor with some of these girls who apply in terms of experience and professionalism.
    I've noticed several models who began the same age as me or slightly older, have mysteriously become younger than me with the passage of time! (At least according to their profiles). I don't feel the need to lie - I couldn't if I wanted to, as I've probably been to prolific over the years to get away with it, but I can understand why other models do so.
    As you say, it is because of the preconceived ideas attached to age, rather than any real need to rule out a model based on her birth certificate. Since we must accept that a model is judged purely on her looks, then surely it would be better to do exactly that, rather than add complication to the matter by making assumptions based on age.
    I once received an equally curt reply from a photographer when at age 26 I applied for a casting that specified 18 - 25. I pointed out that I looked no different at 25 to 26. He said that if he shot me, the images would be 'unusable to his clients.' I'm still trying to work out that logic.
    I have met Micki Baxter, she's a wonderful lady and a fantastic model. It saddens me that models such as her and yourself... and even myself to a certain extent are finding it more difficult to find work because we basically live in a society that seems to think it is unacceptable to age. A pity really, because it inevitably comes to us all!

    I'm also a professional actress, and it is standard form NEVER to reveal your real age, but instead list a 'playing range' of character ages you could play. I'd say mine is 21 - 35 depending on the context of the role, and I think it's a much fairer way not to rule someone out of a part.

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  4. I started a thread on Purestorm and I was appalled at the rudeness and shortsightedness of some of the commentators. Doing what people do in acting i.e. giving age ranges would be far better.High end fashion is making changes but it will take time before more standard photographic commercial work begins to accept that a modelling career does not end at 25. My advice to every model is stay there, don't give up together we can make things happen. When I see Gaultier using a 51 year old model on the catwalk or Vogue having 46 year old Kristen McMenamy on its cover I know that there is hope.

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  5. I've already posted a comment on UL's blog on this topic (so whenever she gets around to approving it, you can read that, and know that it also applies to this post).

    Minor comments:
    Age hardly matters with famous faces like Catherine Deneuve (who I also admit is still very sexy).
    I think part of the thing about celebrities that makes them eternally attractive despite their age is that because they appear in press photos and films, they are immortalized in the public consciousness. Not to mention that by being in the public eye (and having considerably more free time), they can afford to stay in shape and eat well.

    I think many people don't even realize that many women they find beautiful these days are over 40. Kylie Minogue is over 40, Madonna is over 50, Jane Seymore is nearly 60, Helen Mirren is 65, Judi dench is 75.

    So, I think, part of the problem with being a model outside the mass mainstream public eye is having to cope with the "oh yeah? who are you?" factor - where they find out your age and thing "who is this?"

    Not to mention that many (myself included) might feel intimidated by the idea of shooting nudes with a woman who's older than their own mother (and what my own mother might think of that, for that matter).

    It's something to overcome on the part of model and photographer. The more prominent and respected you can make yourself, the less reticent people will be to work with you - and they should be lining up for the privilege, already.

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  6. UL is not online at the moment so I cannot read that comment.
    I do understand what you are saying about feeling intimidated. I have done shoots with photographers barely older than my own son who is the same age as you, and I had to stop myself from thinking they probably were at nursery at the same time as my boy - that would have prevented me from doing the shoot.
    But this problem with age is actually not found when shooting nudes, it is a barrier that stops you from posing fully clothed for commercial work! You are right though, the better known you are, the easier it gets.

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  7. This is something that has always been a thorn in my side. Nowadays there seems to be a cult towards the young age, where everything seems to be focused to them, and everything seems to be made for them. The irony lies in that young people is not really the majority. Sure, there are lots of people in the 20s range, but there are whole countries in Europe where the median for age is above 30s, sometimes 40s.

    What happened to the times where age maturity involved respect and solemnity? The stereotype of "wise man" or "wise woman", where he or she is represented as an older person is not gratuitous. When the Earth was young and mankind was giving their first steps, it was the mature people who lead the spiritual and cultural aspects of their people. They were seen with awe, marvels of experience, pinnacles of wisdom and paragons of knowledge. They had seen everything, they knew everything, and they did not because of a false arrogance, but because they had lived enough to see it happen. What can be more valuable than experience?!?

    Ok... rant done. Back to our subject at hand, every time I look for a model to draw, I always enjoy more working with older women or men (better women than men - mature women have an irresistible mystic aura). They are, as you say, more confident, they are fluid to work with, they are easier to connect and they are all around the best models I have a chance to work with. I know colleagues that think age is a determining factor in their models for pictorial work, alluding excuses like "sensuality", or "erotic allure".

    I can't think of anything more sensual and erotic than a woman that knows her body, knows her desires and has lived long enough to know mine. I applaud this article, and I applaud your point of view.

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  8. Since I've commented on UL's blog, I'll only say here that I have met women younger than I who have apparently already given up on "being beautiful and sexy"--and I have met women decades older than myself who simply glow. Age has nothing to do with beauty.

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